Dawn of Darkness
by Dark Lord Link
Summary: Cursed at the hand of the Demon King, the newly proclaimed shadow king Link has been sealed in his palace for a thousand years. But when two familiar sisters appear mysteriously within his realm, the kingdom finds hope in Eternal Darkness. DUE FOR REWRITE SOON.
1. Legends of Old

**A/N****: **First attempt at a couple things, and a second attempt at one that hasn't been finished yet. My first attempt at a horror based fiction as well as the widely loved Link/Cassandra pairing in the Soul Calibur category, the second attempt is a surprise only a pair of you may know of that I revealed to, to whom I trust would not leak that info to others in-turn spoiling the story. Enjoy, and please review, it helps me in my motivation!

_**3/13/2011 - 12:23 AM**_: For anyone who has just started reading this, I may rewrite the first three chapters as they were done some time ago and I have greatly improved since I wrote the fourth. Chapter five and six are the longest so far and also my own personal favorites of these six. The story does get better as you continue.

The reason I am planning to rewrite the first three is because they are confusing and I was running on no plot what so ever when I started this project, but now I have one that I think you guys may enjoy. The plot was finally developed when chapter four was made and six reveals the plot, or basic idea of the story. Please bare with me here.

And if you would like to know how Link looks like in this story, I am using Ocarina of Time Link and he looks exactly like my icon, only his hat and tunic is still green. No, this is _not_ a self-insert. I don't write those types of stories. 

**Summary:** Cursed at the hand of the Demon King, the newly proclaimed shadow king Link has been sealed in his palace for a thousand years. But when two familiar sisters appear mysteriously within his realm, he finds light in the dark. Link/Cassandra. Dark fiction. Add romance to the genres.

**Disclaimer****:** I do not own Zelda, or Soul Calibur.

* * *

**Soul Calibur II: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter I: Legends of Old**

Sophitia and Cassandra. Grecian sisters, and heroes of Athens. The two were traveling deep in the dark caverns of Shadow Mountain. A fierce and deadly mountain, said to be the resting place of the Black Knight. A millennium old warrior who shook and ravaged the Earth of Evil in a time long passed.

Legend has it, the Black Knight was from another world entirely, his appearance said it all. He had come here to track down and destroy Soul Edge to save his homeland from Carnage and Apocalypse. But he was betrayed by the warriors he sided with, and casted into darkness. Four years later, he reappeared as the Black Knight, the mightiest warrior of his time. Using powerful magic that he had never possessed before, he raised an army of the finest and deadliest warriors, completely soulless and loyal to him. They were born of his essence, created as the perfect soldiers in his eyes. Their appearance mirrored his own, only differing in eye color which determined their rank.

A Black Legion warrior had ruby-red eyes, their armor bore exact resemblance to their creator's. They wore helms shaped like a bucket, a T-shaped visor with a thick nose guard, and two horns emerged where their ears would be and pointed to the sky. Their primary weapon was a fifteen-foot spear. For close combat, they had a black sword and shield on their back. Their skills with the blade was unmatched by even the most elite of enemy soldiers.

A Black Legion archer had emerald-green eyes which also provided long-distant sight. Their armor was the same as the Black Legion warrior. They bore large black long bows and plenty of black arrows in a quilt, they could launch arrows at lightning speed and with deadly accuracy. They had two black long-swords on their backs for close combat making them lethal due to longer reach.

A Black Legion commander had bright light blue eyes, their skills were intensified and their minds quick. The armor was the same, differing only on the helm. Their helm had a brush like design of hair embedded on the middle of the helmet on the top. Their visor similar in design of the mass murdering knight, Nightmare, only showed the eyes. They wielded large heavy two-hand swords and swung with a grace unmatched on the battlefield. The officer class was the only soldier on the field allowed to bear a cape with the banner of the Black Knight. A deep, shadow blue cape with a half wolf, half dragon with glowing blue eyes.

The Black Legion Generals, the only female warriors of the army, and the most elite of the soldiers, had eyes to match their master's silver-blue. Their forms were slightly muscular, but not enough to suggest they weren't feminine. They were tall, but not as tall as the other warriors, who stood at six feet. Where as the Generals were only five-foot eleven inches. They were armed with a razor sharp two-hand sword, and two black long swords on their backs, one on each side. Their Great blade was sheathed in the middle of their backs. The General class was the most quickest as well, excelling in speed at the cost of armor. They bore simple black tunics with long black boots. Their arms were guarded by leather gauntlets attached to gloves with half-cut fingers. They bore no hat, but their blond hair was up in a pony-tail, to avoid being a hinderence. They also served as the guard of their master.

The Black Knight himself was often referred to as Darkness in physical form, he ruled the Shadows, the Night was his domain. He was as mighty and fierce as the dragons, and as swift and deadly as the wolves. He had led the Black Legions into battle a millennium ago in an act of vengeance and to complete his task.

Destroy Soul Edge.

He eventually did, he had casted the blade into the void and sealed it there. With his army at his back, and the traitors destroyed, he waged war against evil. A six year war of terror and bloodshed. At the end, the last of the Demon Lords with their dieing breath, sealed the Black Knight and his army into Shadow Mountain deep in the Black Knight's Fortress.

With the Black Legions gone, darkness under the banner of Evil crept back into the shadows of the world. Whispers of a nameless evil ruled through fear of death and chaos. Corrupting humanity to it's core.

Sophitia and Cassandra had never been in this land of Darkness, far to the north of the world. The mountain was cloaked in a ring of shadows, awaiting it's Lord's return. It wasn't until the Grecian sisters reached the towering black battlements and walls of the fortress, which lied deep in the Mountain itself, did they realize where they were.

"Um...Sis? I got a bad feeling about this..." Cassandra whispered to her sister, Sophitia.

The air was heavy in Darkness, the Black Fortress loomed ominously overhead. Fear was inspired in the two living dwellers of light by the atmosphere.

"I know Cassandra, me too. But we can't stay out in that blizzard, we'll freeze to death!" Sophitia explained.

"I'll take my chances, I don't want to be here any more, this place is so Dark...so lonely..." Cassandra whimpered. Sophitia held her younger sister tightly in an attempt to reassure her.

"Look Cassy. The Black Knight isn't evil, if the legends are true, then we don't have nothing to fear. He won't harm us..." Sophitia reassured. '_I hope..._' She added mentally.

As the warriors crossed the threshold of the Fortress, after opening the huge black oak double doors which squeaked eerily, they entered the darkest place in the known world.

The Black Fortress.

They took no more than two steps before they both screamed in utter terror as a frightening and unexpected image appeared in their heads, blocking their vision. The image involved a dark red sky over plains of dark green fields and the symbol of the Black Knight, baring its fangs at them with its glowing eyes, right in their minds vision, the whole image shook violently to an almost blurring effect and the symbol slowly moved towards them. A demoniacally low roar was also heard. As soon as it had happened, it also disappeared quickly, leaving too deeply shaken women on the ground holding their racing heart, completely numb in fear.

Cassandra was sobbing uncontrollably as Sophitia let loose a few tears as well.

'_Maybe he will harm us...We are intruding on his grounds, his realm..._' Sophitia mused. She realized that she may have made a mistake bringing Cassandra in here.

The stories of the Black Knight always frightened her the most. Even Taki and Ivy found them horrifying. Especially Talim and Amy who were the youngest members of their group. Raphael would just scoff at the stories. Claiming it was nothing more than fairy tales and children lore. Most of the male members agreed, except for Siegfried who knew all that Soul Edge knew.

Siegfried claimed he had been seeing scenes of ancient battles past, two darknesses colliding in a war that shook the earth in his dreams. Raphael merely called him insane.

Oh how wrong was he. He was in for a _huge_ surprise if Sophitia and Cassandra ever managed to get out of here alive.

"Listen Cassy...If you don't want to go any further, we can leave. I guess the Dark One doesn't want any unwelcome visitors in his ancient fortress." Sophitia offered quietly with a shaking voice, looking sympathetically at her younger, horror-struck sister.

Cassandra thought for a moment, she had always admired the Black Knight, all the paths he had taken and the trouble he had endured. The adventures he lived. She really looked up to him, she wanted nothing more then to talk with him, to learn more about him. Despite his...dark ways, he inspired curiosity, aside from fear and respect, in her.

Deciding she wasn't running away from this one-in-a-lifetime chance, she convinced herself to swallow her fears and press on.

"No. I wanna keep going, I don't believe the Dark One would try and harm us...I think..." Sophitia smiled at her sister's determination. Cassandra often reminded her of her children.

"Alright, but if we get anymore signs of him not wanting us here, then we will have to leave..." she spoke quietly into her sister's ear, hoping the spirit of the Black Knight did not here them. If he even was a spirit. Maybe it was just the atmosphere.

They would find out soon enough.

* * *

**A/N:** Stay tuned for chapter two. R&R please! I always fancy reviews, helps me out to know that people read my work!


	2. Guardians in the Darkness

**A/N****: **Chapter two of my Horror fiction. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer****:** I do not own Zelda, or Soul Calibur.

* * *

**Soul Calibur II: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter II: Guardians in the Darkness**

Deep in the shadows of the Black Fortress, a transparent silhouette walked through the corridors. The boots of the figure sounded silently on the black rugs, the clatter of three large swords in sheaths on the figures back echoed eerily in the pitch blackness of the halls.

The figure looked up, and saw a group of heavily armed transparent soldiers marching in perfect formation holding spears except the lead one, which held a large double-edge sword in his left hand pointing forward, not one trooper had stepped out of line by the slightest of inches. The figure smiled to itself, their piercing silver-blue eyes looked admirably at the troops. The squad stopped in front of the figure and saluted, placing their right fists over their hearts and bowing slightly.

"What is it, commander?" the female voiced figure asked with a tone of authority.

The soldier with the large sword stepped forward, bearing the cape with the symbol of the Dragon and Wolf and spoke in a deep commanding voice.

"General Wolfiah, guards of the Seventh and Tenth legions have reported that intruders have entered the fortress. One of the troops claimed he heard them say that they were merely escaping the blizzard, and they apparently know of the legends." The commander reported.

General Wolfiah nodded, her elegant face set in a stern expression of command.

"Send for the other High Generals, except Sarah since she is always there, to make for the Master's chambers." She ordered. The Commander nodded and sent his troops to gather the other higher ranking Generals.

General Wolfiah sighed. '_I hope the Master is not going to be upset..._'. She thought, remembering how the traitors from a millennium ago had met their fates at the hands of the Black Knight himself. She shuddered at the memories. He was not very merciful since he invoked the Darkness he now leads, and he was out for vengeance against them, making him even worse at the time.

At least he had the honor to fight them himself, and treat them as equals even if they betrayed him.

The other soldiers were ordered not to harm the traitors, on pain of death. They were his and his alone. The Black Knight had hunted them down and captured them all by himself, and when he made sure they were good and healthy, he challenged them. If the traitor's won, they were to be set free. If they lost, they would met their end. The Black Knight was a man of his word.

But none of the traitors ever had the chance to find out how it felt to be free again.

For none survived his rage.

* * *

***Master's quarters***

The eight high generals, Ehtias the sharp, Titania the mighty, Leiana the timid, Wolfiah the magnificent, Dragonia the fierce, Shadowess the swift, and Valiana the wise stood on their right knee in the darkness. Their transparent heads bowed, their eyes closed. General Sarah the gentle stood by a figure chained to a throne, whispering a chant quietly into their ears.

Cobwebs littered the whole area. Dust that had gathered littered what furniture was placed in the room. Portraits covered the walls, but the mass of dust and webs made it impossible to see what was portrayed within the pictures.

The figure on the black marble throne had long pointy ears, just like all warriors of the Black Legions. A pointy hat hung from the back of its head, golden hair cloaked in the darkness of the room covered the figures eyes. Black armor protected the figures chest, shoulders, and torso. Armored leather boots protected their feet, and one large gray spike on each shoulder guard glistened in the rare light of the room, obviously polished. The armor had deep blue trimming with a few wing-like designs on the armor plating of the chest, boots, and shoulders. A large sword in a black sheath hung from the figure's left shoulder on their back.

The body was completely still, no breathing was heard.

"...Master...?" General Sarah addressed the figure.

No response.

General Wolfiah and the others stood and gathered around their overlord.

"I think he is slipping into purgatory...!" General Titania said in a worried tone. Sarah placed her left palm on the figures face. At her touch, a voice spoke to the females minds.

*What is it...?* The deep yet gentle voice had a demonic growl under lapping it. Sarah removed her hand from her master's face and let Wolfiah step up to discuss the situation.

"My lord, two armed women have entered the fortress. The troops overheard their reason, they were escaping the cold blizzard of the mountain. They also seem to know of the fortress's origins." Wolfiah reported.

The Black Knight's low and gentle voice turned dark and menacing, he growled demoniacally. No living being of light or dark had set foot in his Shadow Realm for a millennium.

*Ugh, alright...Where are they now?* He asked after calming himself, remembering how he was a man who answered peoples cries of help when he was free.

"They are still at the main hall of the Fortress. What are your orders, Master?" Wolfiah asked. The dark king grumbled to himself for a moment, seemingly debating about something.

*Wolfiah, Dragonia, Shadowess, I want you to watch over them. Make sure the wicked spirits that have taken residence here do not harm them. You shall be their guardians in the Dark. Understood?* The Black Knight instructed. Wolfiah, Shadowess, and Dragonia nodded, accepting their orders loyally.

"Is there something you wish of them, Master?" Ethtias asked curiously. The Black Knight's growl answered her first before he spoke again.

*...Their safety.* He stated and the generals nodded in understanding. Leiana, the shyest of the seven, held a look of deep thought.

"...Master, Your curse, it can be-" She started before she was interrupted.

*I am well aware of what it takes to free me. Now that I have awakened, I can sense the purity and innocents in the intruder's souls. I care not for my freedom now, They have stumbled on the Shadow Realm at a time when we cannot provide adequate protection. The demon ones _will_ harm them if they can. And for some reason, their presence feels achingly familiar...* The Black Knight explained.

"They could be here to expose us, my lord." Valiana pointed out, ignoring her Lord's comment as coincidence.

*Thus another reason I have sent three high generals to keep watch over them.* The Dark One remarked.

"What of the troops?" Sarah asked. The Black Knight didn't answer for a while.

*...Send them to Angor.* The Black Knight ordered. The eight Elite looked at their master in shock.

"But Master!" Shadowess protested.

*Listen to me, I don't want the females to be distracted, if I am to be free, they must come of their own will. Now go, all of you.* The Black Knight dismissed his very worried generals.

They already had the Eleven and Twelfth Legions in the mountains of Angor. The Shadow Realms were already under his rule. He was sending away his strongest armies in an attempt to clear a path for two dwellers of light who may not willingly release him. He was taking an awful risk, and he knew it.

He was also expecting just three, although his finest and most experienced, High Generals to protect the intruders. Against the evil ones hiding in the fortress, deep within, they would have to be careful.

The demon ones could not harm the generals, it was the light dwellers that were in danger.

The eight high generals bowed to their Master and saluted before walking off into the black halls.

* * *

***Main Hall***

Back at the entrance of the Black Fortress, Sophitia and Cassandra sat huddled against each other in the darkness. They could feel countless cold, soulless eyes watching them. The armies of the Black Knight had been what had stopped them from advancing. They would have attempted to leave, seeing this as a sign the Dark One was not pleased with their presence in his forbidden fortress, but when they neared the way to the doors, they felt threatening energy in the atmosphere, as if warning them to not try it.

The spirits had blocked them off.

"Sis, why won't they let us be?" Cassandra asked frightened. Sophitia was trying to calm her own heart and reclaim her bodily functions from the paralysis of fear, and her breathing as she answered her sister.

"I-I don't know...They must want us to remain here in the hall...Its the only thing I can think of, but the air is filled with hostility, I don't know if they are going to harm us or just make us sit here. Its best to not move or provoke them..." Sophitia suggested. Cassandra didn't need to be told twice.

A distinct female voice shouted loudly from the far side of the hall, surprising the sisters at the sudden break in the eerie silence.

"Heliohs!" The voice shouted, it sounded like an order in another language.

Their ears picked up the sound of marching feet. They looked up and from the darkness, emerged an army of black armored troops in perfect formation, divided into squads of twelve, with nine squads in each brigade, marching towards the door. They were ghostly in appearance, likely the work of the curse they had been placed under long ago.

The troops never wavered in the march, they glared straight ahead and moved in perfect formation. As the troops kept marching by, the sound of armored feet stomping on the black stone ground echoing loudly, inspiring fear, dread, and a sense of doom in the sisters. The same voice sounded again. This time, it was directed in their direction.

"Sawtoh fyonda!" The female voice ordered? They looked up and were shocked to see at least three brigades of Black Legion warriors and archers marching towards them from the right passageway.

The troops marched slowly towards them, slowly leveling their spears and aiming their bows at the deeply shaken sisters who stood up and backed further into the corner, holding each other tightly and raising their shields, just in case.

"Oktie!" At the 'command' the soldiers halted in their march with a heavy stomp that sounded out through the hallway before being drowned out by the noise of the main army.

"Alacohn halas!" The Archers readied their bows and aimed at the sisters. A few commanders stepped forward and held their swords vertically at their sides, not raised, just holding them. Ready to give the order to fire or attack.

They stayed that way as the main army passed by, not once glancing at the two shocked sisters as they left loudly. When the last of the main legions had left the Fortress, all was quiet except for the heavy breathing of the sisters as they tried to calm themselves, thinking happy things to ward of the fear.

Booted feet could be heard from behind the soldiers, the steps were light, and unarmored. The troops stomped at attention and cleared a path for three soldiers, female soldiers in black tunics with golden hair in a long pony-tail, cold silver-blue eyes, and three large swords on their back. Black light leather gloves and boots covered their arms and legs respectively as they became more apparent. They had a slight build, and a voluptuous figure.

The female warriors, obviously generals, stopped about five feet from the sisters. They analyzed the two with calculating eyes as they watched them. One of the three who stood in the middle stepped forward, causing the two to jump back a bit in instinct.

"Hello." The General greeted. The sisters blinked in confusion. Sophitia was shocked, too shocked to respond. Cassandra stared at the general with unbelieving eyes. She had just heard the voice of a general from the Black Legions!

The generals behind smirked at each other. The first smiled warmly at the two.

"Do not fear us, we mean you no harm. Can you speak?" The general asked. Cassandra spoke first.

"H-hello..." she greeted back. The general nodded in approval.

"Good. I am Wolfiah, one of the eight High Generals of the Black Legions, the two behind me are Shadowess, and Dragonia two of the other eight. Welcome to the Black Fortress." Wolfiah greeted politely with a Black Legion salute. The other two walked up and bowed at the Grecian sisters who stood dumbfounded.

"W-what do you want from us...?" Sophitia asked, voice shaking. Shadowess answered her in a serious tone.

"That is what we were about to ask you." She stated. The other two nodded as the sisters blinked.

"We understand your need to avoid the cold of our mountain, but why enter our fortress?" Dragonia asked.

"We have heard of the Black Knight. We never meant to disturb you, we were just curious...and it was still too cold at the cave's entrance for us..." Cassandra explained.

"I see. May we have the honor of knowing your names?" Wolfiah asked.

"I am Sophitia Alexandra of Athens. This is Cassandra Alexandra, my younger sister. We were part of the group who recently defeated the same blade the Black Knight fought long ago." Sophitia explained.

"Interesting, the blade had returned. Did the Master know of this?" Wolfiah asked her fellow generals. Dragonia shrugged while Shadowess nodded.

"Yes, he was enraged with it's return but could not do anything about it, so only sulked about in his chambers." She explained.

"Well Sophitia, Cassandra, the Master has favored your presence. He has sent us to ensure you safe passage through our fortress." Wolfiah informed.

"Wait, why do we need protection? Isn't this fortress under his watch?" Cassandra asked, choosing her words carefully so as not to insult. Dragonia smiled slightly.

"No, not since he was sealed here, and we became not but mere spirits. His body survived, but without him, we can not take physical form. We are near powerless, and so is he. His influence in the Shadow Lands has been reduced to the range of his own chambers. Dark beings of the shadows under the flag of Evil has crept into the deepest parts of our lands and though we have done all we can to stop them, they keep coming. Without the Master, this will be one never ending war." Dragonia explained.

"Our forces has been constantly kept on the front line because of this." Wolfiah added. Shadowess nodded.

"Warola!" She called out to the troops waiting patiently behind who stood at stiff attention at the command.

"Helliohs!" She ordered in that language again, pointing to the doorway with one of her long-swords in her left hand.

Immediately, the troops turned on their heels and stomped at attention before marching towards the double-doors of the fortress. Following the main army out.

"May I ask you something, dwellers of light?" Shadowess addressed the sisters after commanding the troops. The sisters nodded.

"Do you wish to release our Master?" She asked in a serious voice.

"_We_ can release him?" Sophitia asked bemused. Cassandra stared wide-eyed at the three warriors.

"If you can prove that your souls are pure and that your hearts are true, if you can brave the evils that lie in our fortress, then you will have the right to release him. No being of light can face this darkness alone, that is why we are here to guide you." Shadowess explained.

"You can go forward and try to prove yourselves worthy or you can turn back and leave without being harmed by the demon spirits. The choice is yours, but know this: Without our Master, the demons will not be defeated, the Black Legions will be left in purgatory. " Dragonia explained.

"Should he return, he will see fit to grant you your greatest desires and save your world from the evils that corrupt it, if you so wish it. If you cannot, then your world will slowly slip to darkness of Evil. Only he has the power to defeat the Demon King." Wolfiah added.

The sisters shared looks, they would have to think about this. If they went, it was likely they would not survive, even with the three Generals watching over them. If they went back, their world could be lost to a far more powerful evil then before. They only thought one thing.

'_This is going to be one looong night..._'

* * *

**A/N: Find out what happens next time lads, and lasses. Reviews are always encouraged!**


	3. The Eastern Hall

**A/N****:** Okay, Hope this chapter is good. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer****:** I do not own Zelda, or Soul Calibur.

* * *

**Soul Calibur II: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter III: The Eastern Hall**

As the three high generals awaited the answer of the Grecian sisters, Wolfiah felt a tingle at the far reaches of her mind.

Deciding to ignore it as the corrupt atmosphere, she continued waiting patiently. At last the sisters seemed to have made a choice.

"Alright, we have decided to accept this task. Will you lead us in the dark?" Sophitia declared. The generals nodded, then gave the Black Legion salute and recited an oath.

"By our lives, by our deaths, we shall raise our swords in your names." they said in unison.

Now that they had confirmed the destined purpose of the two light dwellers, Wolfiah led the other four down the right passageway they had emerged from with their troops previously. Dragonia and Shadowess protected the rear, while Wolfiah guarded the front with the sisters watching their flanks for whatever could possibly exist in the bowels of the fortress.

As they walked down the dimly lit hall, an object on the wall caught Cassandra's attention.

"Gods...Is that..." She trailed off.

Wolfiah looked over her shoulder and saw what Cassandra was referring to. She smiled when she saw it was a portrait of the Black Knight himself. He was standing with his black, enchanted sword resting on the ground, held up by his palms tilted to his left. His cold, silver-blue eyes glared down at them, his cape bellowed behind him in a wind that took place within the image itself.

"Yes Cassandra, thats him. He who you seek to resurrect." She said, smiling wider as she saw the shocked face of Sophitia, combined with the curious and equally surprised face of Cassandra.

"He...He's handsome...I thought he would look older, unless he actually does now." Cassandra stated.

Dragonia stepped up to her side, staring proudly at the image, grinning as she imagined the two's faces after she reveals this next bit of information.

"He still is. His body is immune to time itself. Before his days as the Black Knight, he was once called the 'Hero of Time'. By order of the Hyrulian Goddesses, he was bound by destiny to protect his kingdom, wield the 'Blade of Evil's Bane' and guard Time itself." She explained.

"I don't understand...'Hero of Time'? 'Hyrulian Goddesses?' 'Blade of Evil's Bane'? What is that all supposed to mean?" Sophitia inquired with genuine curiosity.

"Hyrule was the world he was born in, his home of origins. Beautiful place. The three Goddesses who created and watch over that realm had chosen him as their champion and gave him the Triforce of Courage, a sacred relic of the Goddess of Courage, Farore. He needed it to complete his quests. The Blade of Evil's Bane was a legendary sword forged by one of the Goddesses herself, Din, with the purpose of vanquishing evil. Those with evil souls, hearts, or minds cannot touch the blade." Shadowess explained.

"And only he could wield it." Wolfiah added.

The more Wolfiah stared at the picture, the stronger that tingling sensation got. She gave a mute gasp at the thought of what this meant.

She held her left open-palm towards the picture, earning her some inquisitive looks from the others. As she closed her eyes and focused on the tingling, she heard a voice in her head.

*...Wolfiah...* The voice of the Black Knight said slowly, his voice, deep and as demonic as before. Now she knew why she had that feeling.

Her lord was calling to her.

'_He must have recovered enough energy to manifest himself within the portrait..._' She figured.

"Wait...He is calling me. Come, we must summon the Master." Wolfiah said to the other two generals, who nodded, now realizing why Wolfiah was acting strange.

They grouped together in a circle at the front of the portrait. They were using it as a medium. The sisters stood back and watched, curious as to what will happen. The generals placed their right arms on their left arm's bicep, they held up their left palms in front of them. They had their index and middle fingers up, pushing against each other, and the others down. They sat down in a cross-legged fashion and summoned the energy they had gathered from the fortress which gave of enormous amounts of power through the runes that were embedded within the foundations of its stone.

Wolfiah started to chant which the other two began to join after.

_Thee I invoke, the darkened one, here my call! Thee that didst create the Legions of the Night! Thee that didst create the Fortress of the Shadows! Thee who is bound by destiny to guard the darkness, and the light! Slayer of the mad gods! Tamer of the dark world! Descendant of the demon deity!_

_Ye I invoke, the terrible, immortal knight, who dwells in the shadow place of the spirit! Thee I invoke, the begetter and manifester unto light, who's sword ever flameth, spiteth! Here my call!_

_He who is the prince of the night! He who is the king of the shadows! He who the wicked ones fear! Lord of my call! Arise, we invoke ye now!_

From the image on the wall, a demonic roar erupted. Sending waves of fear into even the hearts of the generals.

"..._**Eeyaaah!**_" The dark voice roared.

From the shadows of the hall, blood-curdling screams erupted, and from that same direction came creatures of humanoid shapes walking with difficulty. The skin of the demon creatures were brown and rotting. The smell of decayed bodies hit the five hard. The generals were used to it, but Sophitia and Cassandra weren't. As the group of creatures neared, the two were on their knee's vomiting from the stench that burned their nostrils and lungs.

"What are you doing? Get up! Those are some of the demons we must go through to reach the master chamber!" Shadowess shouted as she tore her two long-swords from their sheaths.

"You must fight! We alone will not be enough to stop them! If they reach you, then its over!" Wolfiah added as she readied her two-hand sword.

"Hurry Master! We will need you soon!" Dragonia spoke to the image of her lord, which seemed to grow darker by the second, as she ripped her double swords from their sheathes.

The two sisters, having lost all their food from their previous meal, grabbed their weapons shakily and stood ready. They were trembling in fear at the soulless gazes the undead creatures gave them.

"They're only ReDead, they can be easily killed one-by-one. But as a group, even a small one, they can be a force to reckon with! Be on your guard and don't let them grab you!" Wolfiah instructed as she stood in a protective stance ahead of the four. Dragonia and Shadowess took up positions on the sister's flanks.

As the group of undead gave another screech and stumbled towards them, the females launched an attack, Wolfiah having issued a battle-cry and charging the flesh-eaters head-on followed by the hesitant sisters and the watchful generals.

As Wolfiah reached her first victim, she swung her mighty blade in wide arcs, cutting down several of the creatures at once. But because she was not more than a spirit, she could only cause flesh wounds, not fatal injuries.

As the others reached her, the only ones whose attacks actually counted was the sisters, and they were fighting the least.

Wolfiah growled in frustration at the two. They were shaking in their boots and swinging as if they were drunker than the low-lives of any underground bar. Though they did managed to kill a few of them, they were still too unfocused.

As the generals cut the sister's targets, which gave them time to finish their opponents off, a few ReDead got through and charged the sisters who screamed and nearly tripped on their feet. They scurried back as fast as they could, not expecting to be rushed by the hideous things they had never encountered before.

Sophitia brought down the ones that rushed her, but Cassandra was pinned to the wall, the only thing separating her from the hungry mouth of the creature and her fresh, warm blood was her shield.

"_**Help me!**_" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Sophitia tried to help her, but several other ReDead blocked her path and screamed. Sophitia's body practically shut down. She could not move, and she could not tear her eyes from the creatures before her. They were about to pounce her when Wolfiah knocked them back with her sword.

Cassandra was still trying to get the creature that attacked her off, but was failing. Her life was flashing before her eyes, she sobbed uncontrollably as the only thought that ran through her head was '_I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!_'

While she wallowed in her despair, the creature suddenly flew back, its weight having been lifted from her lungs. Cassandra looked up to see a shadowy silhouette of the man in the picture. The figure stood at six full feet. Armor on his torso, chest, and shoulders which also had a spike on each. His hands also had spikes erupting from his lower arms and his knuckles, obviously steel pieces embedded in the armor to give him the ability to rip and tear things asunder without using a sword but the mere swing of his arms. On the steel pleated boots, two spikes erupted from the man's heel, making any reverse kicks just as deadly as a sword swing. The eyes of the man seemed to absorb the darkness of the hall, glowing white like a candle.

It was the Black Knight himself, well, in shadow form.

The younger sister suddenly felt like she was three years old and two inches tall.

"W-w-what...?" she stuttered out in confusion, completely intimidated by his presence.

The Black Knight looked towards the generals and her sister, hinting without a word. Cassandra nodded and bolted for their side.

She turned around in time to see the Black Knight draw a large glowing sword off his back and raise his right palm. The back of his fist faced the undead group that shied away from him.

"Give me your souls, demons!" the Black Knight roared.

A black vortex erupted from his fist and hit the undead with a loud hum. They gave a dieing cry as they lost all the evil power that kept them alive. That energy was directed back at the Shadow King, blackened life shot through his shadowy form, like electrical currents. He gave a quiet, demoniacally low and unsettling chuckle as he soon manifested into a fleshy form of existence.

The generals walked up to him and dropped to one of their knees. They bowed their heads and spoke simultaneously, "my lord." as a greeting.

The Black Knight was flexing his right fist, enjoying the feeling he felt, life. He slowly turned to his three disciples and nodded to them, his face stern and emotionless. His eyes though, were glowing malevolently. As if it were a fire driven by unimaginable, raging, yet controlled hate.

"You have done well, my beloved generals. The demons have been awakened, because of this and the added energy of your summoning ritual and the magic of my fortress, I managed to absorb enough life force to create a temporary shell of my true self." He explained, allowing the generals to take in the knowledge.

He turned his gaze from his rising generals towards the two numbed females.

"Ah. You must be the two who ventured into my Kingdom. Welcome..." he spoke slowly, his voice echoing eerily.

In response, and thanks to the still very present and unpleasant smell of the rotting flesh-eaters, the two fainted.

The Black Knight chuckled darkly.

'_It would seem these two are truly descended from the warriors of the past...This is going to be interesting..._' He mused mentally.

"Ugh, my lord, are you certain these two can undertake such a task?" Shadowess asked, sounding annoyed.

"...Yes, they have the power within them. They must unlock it if they're to survive. I will not be able to remain here long, my power is being sapped rapidly by the curse, and the energy of the fortress is only buying me time, but only minutes. I will not be able to keep this shade alive for long." he explained. The generals looked solemn by this revelation, but understood him nonetheless.

"Listen to me, I came to inform you to avoid the west wing if you can. It is infested with ReDead and Darknuts. The ReDead would pose as little of a challenge to the females, if they could unlock their inner power. But the Darknuts would devastate them. Go through the eastern wing, only a few demons are present at this time." He instructed.

"What about them? And how will we unlock their true power, my lord?" Wolfiah asked.

"They can only unlock that power themselves. You will need to create a situation that would beckon that power from them...Take them to the basements of the Fortress." the Dark Lord commanded.

"But sire! The basement? They will surely fail! That is worse then the west wing, you can't possibly hope for them to survive!" Wolfiah argued in defense of the unconscious angel-like women. The Black Knight gave a chilling glare at her.

"That is an order. They will be able to unlock their inner strength if they had a reason too. I will not allow them to die, you must test them to ensure they are truly strong enough to brave the darkness of this world. Outside these walls is where they will truly need that power. I shall seek out the items of legend, they should prove useful and vital in this struggle." The Black Knight instructed. The generals nodded, now understanding his tactic for victory.

"Should we search for the Sword of Shadows?" Dragonia asked. The Black Knight shook his head as he picked up the unconscious sisters with ease.

"No. I will seek the Fire rod. The undead can not survive fire, they fear it. I shall also acquire the Sword of Flames. They both will need weapons best suited to defeating this evil. I will watch over you five as often as possible, but I will be more focused on keeping the lot of the enemy from attacking all of you at once." he explained as he led the three down through the hall back to the painting.

"With the little power I can command in this state, I will open a portal to the basements where you can start. Let them gather their strength and recuperate as much energy as possible for the area you all should spawn in will be free of demons. After they have recovered, I want you three to teach them how to deal with these creatures. The people of their world were never meant to see these atrocities of Hyrule. Train them, offer more respite every chance you can as I locate the items." he instructed quietly so as to not attract the evil creatures.

The three nodded and stepped into the portal he opened as he spoke, right after him. 

**A/N**: Like I had Link explain, he wont be here with the five for long, making it all easy. The song, 'The Calling' by VADER inspired the chant for the summons. I don't recommend you listen to it, it being Death Metal and all, and the fact that most of those songs are always leaning towards the 'evil' side.

The next chapter will be Dreams, and it will end with the five starting their training. Please, review. It won't take much of your time.


	4. Dreams

**A/N:** I wanted to do a little explaining and develop Link's past a bit. You'll see later on how I have this planned. If you don't understand anything, feel free to ask me in a review and I will do my damnedest to give you the answer, as long as it doesn't spoil anything in the chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Soul Calibur or Zelda, blah blah blah. On with the story!

* * *

**Soul Calibur II: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter IV: Dreams**

Rain. It was raining. The day was dark, and the heavens were pouring. It was a wedding day today. A woman stared out at the stand that held the vows she was to recite during the ceremony. Cassandra, who had no idea what was going on, looked up and saw the bride-to-be standing in the rain. She was soaked to her bones, but determination to spend her days with he who 'loves' her kept her from seeking shelter.

It was, after all, only rain.

A building stood behind her. The temple of Hephaestus, god of forge. This was to be the spot. But she could not help but wonder why she felt like this wasn't how it was supposed to be. She looked at the bride again and caught sight of the face.

It was her.

She was shocked, that much was obvious. Beyond words, in all honesty. She heard a horn blow suddenly from the port. She ran to see what was going on, leaving her image behind. In the building, she saw Sophitia, Ivy, Taki, Raphael, Yun-Seong, and Seong Mi-Na.

'_Why are they here?_' she wondered as she past them by.

She saw her friends and sister turn to the direction of the horn. Their faces held a look of confusion and they too began to move to see what was going on.

When Cassandra reached the clearing, she saw what she could not believe. The unforgettable symbol that struck fear into all that saw it. A banner with the image of a half dragon, half wolf with glowing blue eyes.

The Black Legions banner.

Dozens of rowboats were launched from war frigates in the docks, countless vessels all black and carrying at least three rows of guns on each side as well as a few mounted on the bow and stern of the ships. They too carried the banner of the Black Knight.

The row boats landed in the shore, one held a figure on a horse. The fog that surrounded the port refused to let her sight see who it was. As the first wave of boats docked, entire brigades of Black Legion soldiers, commanders, archers, and a few generals landed. They all took up positions and awaited the one sitting on the black armored, black colored, black mane, and glowing blue eyed horse who held a banner of his own in his left hand.

Cassandra noticed something on the back of that left hand. There was a glowing triangular symbol on the back of it. Three triangles put together to form a larger one. She had seen that symbol in the history books that were dedicated to the Shadow Empire ruled by the Black Knight.

It was the symbol of the Triforce.

She still could not guess who rode the horse though, but immense dark energy flowed from them, their presence inspired an air of power, command and terror. She felt fear grip her heart with icy fingers from the coldest depths of hell itself.

She had a feeling who this man was, but it was only a feeling, she still could not picture who it was. It was as if there was a barrier protecting his identity.

The figure landed and the horse galloped at the head of the line of troops. The soldiers stormed through the streets of Athens. Searching for something. But what? What could the Black Legions want with Cassandra's home and people? What did they all possess that the Black Knight wanted?

She suddenly felt pulled to a familiar shack, Rothion's forge house. She walked into it, Soldiers lined the wall, all pointing their spears at one unmistakable figure.

Siegfried.

He stood there, a look of utter shock and horror on his face. A general stepped up and let a pair of shackles extend from her hands. They bound him and forced him out the doorway, kicking and yelling protests.

Cassandra could not believe this. What was this anyway? A look at the future? It had to be! There was no other explanation to it! Was this what could happen should the Black Knight be released? No that can't be. If they released him, he had to return the favor, surely he would be grateful enough to spare them! He didn't seem like the one to betray those who helped him, and the stories always said he helped others who could not help themselves! They spoke of him possessing a golden word, and he honored every agreement he made.

Not coming up with a logical explanation, she followed the group back to where the wedding was to be had. As Siegfried reached it, the other Cassandra ran up to him and held his face in her hands.

"Why is this happening?" she asked worriedly. Cassandra only now noticed that Siegfried was wearing a groom's wear.

He was the Husband-to-be.

She felt her face twist in a mix of surprise and confusion. Why would she marry him? She didn't see him in such a way. He was a gentleman, of course. But why him? He didn't seem to interested in getting a family started and settling down when she last saw him, he was always talking about redemption for his sins. Not marriage.

"I don't know. You look beautiful." he responded quietly. She sniffed and fixed his shirt.

"I think it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." she said, still sobbing slightly.

The figure she saw on the horse earlier ignored the two and stood at the other end. He was obviously soaked as well, she saw the water on his damp cape and familiar hat drip. Cassandra heard Ivy's voice from behind.

"Make way! What in-" she heard Ivy exclaim. She was cut-off by two Soldiers who held their spears criss-crossed in front of her, preventing her from getting closer.

"How dare you! Who are you people? Stand your men down at once! Do you hear me?" she demanded. She would have killed them on the spot, but she didn't have her sword with her.

The figure unsnapped his cape. A achingly familiar, deep, dark, demonic chuckle erupted from the man's throat. As he turned around, handing his cape to a patiently waiting general who took it, Cassandra finally recognized the man.

The Black Knight. King of the Darkness and Night, ruler of the Shadow Empire. Lord of the Black Legions.

"Isabella 'Ivy' Valentine. It's been too long..." The Black Knight said in a dark voice. Ivy looked stunned beyond all belief.

"You? I thought...I thought you died..." she asked shocked. Cassandra frowned at the scene.

"It's a story unworthy of your ears, actually. I have been known now as the Black Knight." he responded looking around. His ominous blue eyes scanning the crowds and allowing an amused expression on his handsome face at the shocked looks from the warriors.

"Knight or not! You have no reason or authority to arrest this man! And how did you come back?" She exclaimed. The Black Knight turned and flashed her a smug look with more amusement.

"In fact I do. General Wolfiah." he called out, ignoring her question. Wolfiah, who had been the general that was at the Black Knight's side the entire time, who took his coat, flipped open a pack and presented it to him. Within it, was a few documents. Seven to be exact. The Black Knight pulled out one and handed it to Ivy, after the soldiers allowed her through.

"The warrants for the arrest of one Siegfried Schtauffen." He said. Ivy looked at the warrant, looked up at Cassandra and Siegfried, then at the Black Knight.

"This warrant is for Cassandra Alexandra!" she stated bemusedly.

"Oh, is it? That's annoying, my mistake. Arrest her." he commanded, two commanders walked up and began to bind her hands in shackles.

"On what charges?" she asked, sounding hastily.

"_No!_" Siegfried shouted and resisted his captors who restrained him with no difficulty.

"Aha! Here is the one for Siegfried Schtauffen. And I have another one for Sophitia Alexandra! Is she present? Oh, and there is one for Isabella Valentine, Raphael Sorel, Yun-Seong, Seong Mi-Na, and Fu-Ma No Taki! Would you look at that." He stated, flashing around the warrants. The soldiers surrounded the group of warriors and began binding them.

"What are the charges?" Ivy shouted out, being unable to finish reading the warrants. General Wolfiah stood next to the Black Knight and began to recite the charges after he raised his hand to her, signaling her to 'enlighten' them.

"The charge, is conspiring against the crown of the Shadow Empire, treason against one of your own, casting an innocent soul into darkness condemning said soul to death. For which the punishment-" she was halted as the Black Knight raised his hand for her to stop.

"What? The punishment is what?" Taki asked, her voice beginning to show signs of hate as the Dark Lord's shadow began to dwarf them. The Black Knight gave a small, dark smile and that demonic chuckle as he savored the moment. They all held fear and hate in their eyes as he did so, stepping up to them to finish the statements. Wolfiah and her fellow generals stood behind the Black Knight with blank expressions on their faces as they stared at the slowly-consumed-by-fear warriors.

"For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death." he finished. Stepping forward, causing them to gulp at the intense darkness that radiated from his eyes and body as he looked them all dead in the eye, an serious and malice-filled look on his face.

"Perhaps you remember the deed that was done four years ago." he asked them.

"All to well." Seong Mi-Na answered with a tone of sadness.

They all looked down, they knew what he was referring to. The day they betrayed him. The day they cut him down and threw his body into the deepest abyss at the end of their quest. The day they casted him to the deepest parts of hell and destroyed all the trust and respect he had for them.

Cassandra was still trying to put two and two together. She never did this to him! She never betrayed him! She only met him not too long ago! She had too much admiration for him to even think it, for goodness sake! If this was a premonition of the future, then she knew she would be wise to not betray him if she released him, that was.

"You won't get away with this..." Raphael spat. The Black Knight walked up to him and stood right in front of him, looking him challengingly in the eyes. Everyone else just watched, unable to do anything for fear of the heavily armored soldiers and the dark overlord.

"Who's going to stop me? None can save you now. Old friend." the Black Knight spat, voice filled with malicious hate.

"Why...?" Other Cassandra began, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Because my beloved Cassandra. You all betrayed me. You sent me to a place where I had to endure unimaginable pain. You destroyed the trust I had in all of you, you broke my heart and casted me away as if I were some disposable trash. Do you know how that feels like? No you do not." He answered her.

"But, wait...We never-" Taki had begun.

"_**Silence!**_" The Black Knight roared menacingly. One of his soldiers placed their hand over her mouth to make sure she spoke no more.

"I never tasted revenge before...I never approved of it. At least, until now. My sword will cut you all down. I will taste your blood. You will pay for your treachery. No royal legion, people army, nor the gods themselves will be able to protect you. That is my vow, and I will hold to it. Take them away." he commanded.

The soldiers began to pull the despair-ridden warriors out. Heading for the docks. The Black Knight looked around at the crowd who stared at him with a mixture of fear and anger. He smiled darkly at them all. Before allowing himself a dark laugh.

Cassandra just stared. Too shocked to move. Too shocked to think. Did she live a thousand years ago? Is she a reincarnation of the previous warrior of Athens? Before she could think on this further, she was suddenly whisked away.

* * *

She stood in the hull of one of the Black Legions warships. At one end, the Black Knight sat at a massive organ, playing it with a few notes, of to the left of him, a small harp shaped charm finished off what he had been playing. He looked at it slowly, reaching down and scooping it up in his hand. He stared at it with sad eyes. He was covered in blood, though he seemed to be unharmed. She saw a tear form in his sad blue eyes. It rolled down his face and dropped of his cheek. He showed no concern over it. He suddenly, slowly looked up at a corner to his left.

Cassandra looked at the corner he was looking at and saw what he was looking at. She could not begin to describe how much sadness overwhelmed her. A tear drop of her own escaped her eyes. She did not know why, but she felt truly guilty. In the corner was one object.

A blood covered sword.

"...Why?" she heard him suddenly ask out of nowhere. Looking up to him, his head was bowed and his eyes were closed.

"...Because you resisted me! You wanted so bad to be at her side. How else to best break you? ...But I am the one who is your enemy! Not her! ...Why should it matter if she was or not? She loved you, and you loved her. You held onto her so preciously. She never even loved you, foolish boy. Never. ...How would you know, demon? ...Why do you still care, even after I killed her? She's dead anyway so the task is done. ...Damn you! ...Suffer, for I shall feed off it. ...You won't get away with this...I swear it. ...And what can you do? ...What I have done in the past. Destroy you." he suddenly rose up and through his organ off to the sides after seemingly arguing with himself.

The Black Knight, the greatest conqueror in the known history of the world, was weeping. Quietly, but surely.

Cassandra suddenly felt a longing to be there. Comforting him, telling him she was fine, she was right there. She wanted so bad to be at his side.

But before she could move, she suddenly was whisked away again.

* * *

When Cassandra's eyes got focused, she was standing in a room with odd markings all over it. Evil symbols scratched into the walls. Signs of battle were everywhere.

"Damn you!" the enraged voice of a women spoke suddenly, it sounded slightly deep, but was definitely female.

She turned around and saw the Black Knight standing over a women with green skin with a circulate over her head. She had black desert-like clothing with white baggy pants. She held in her hands two wooden shafts with very large jewels on the end of them, one had ruby red and seemed to sizzle, while the other was icy white. Her hair was...unusual. On one side, it was fire like the broom, and the other was ice like the other broom. His sword was pointing right at her heart.

"I shall have my vengeance on you, Dark King!" the green-ish lady spoke again.

Cassandra looked up at the Black Knight and noticed his eyes were glowing malevolently white. His face was twisted into the darkest scowl she ever saw. There was more rage on his figure than could be mustered by even Ivy's standards, which were in fact, legendary.

"Your brethren and your master have shattered Hyrule's peace for far too long. I will not allow this world to meet the same fate. Now die." The Black Knight commanded.

"You will never defeat us all...I curse you for eternity, to rot in the dark world, be sealed your power of the night...never...again...rise..." The women said with her dieing breath.

Red shadows engulfed the Black Knight. He cried out in pain as the curse took root. Black magic coursed through his veins and seeped into his soul. All the while, Cassandra was unable to do anything but watch as he endured the pain.

He suddenly burst free from the evil shadows and glared down at the chuckling Demon Lady. He was panting hard.

The Black Knight spat at her and pierced her heart with his sword, causing the women to cry out before being silenced by the Dark King's boot crushing her skull with a sickening crack.

"Damn you Twinrova...I will return...and when I do...You all will pay..." the Black Knight uttered as he suddenly froze. Black aura formed around him and pulled him through the dimension to his realm.

Cassandra sat their with a blank expression on her face. This was when the Black Knight killed the last of the Demon Lords in the Shadow Wars. This was when the curse was placed on him. She watched as he was pulled under the stone floor.

'_Locked away. For a thousand years. With no hope of escape. It sounds like a living hell. No wonder he's so dark and emotionless._' she concluded.

'_But what did it all mean? Why did he capture them? Ivy and the others haven't even set their eyes on him yet! I never even knew him! Who was he talking about? Ivy? Taki? Seong Mi-Na? Sophitia? Me...?_' she thought. Thinking back to the events at the wedding, which still slightly shocked her to see herself with Siegfried.

'_No, why would he mean me? This must be either a dream, or a nightmare! Or maybe it's him..._' she continued to muse mentally.

She just hoped that she would wake up soon.

* * *

A voice. She heard a voice as she felt her head start knocking.

"Wake up!" The voice snapped, sounding impatient. She bolted upright and looked frantically around, remembering what had happened before she passed out.

'_Was it all...just a dream?_' she thought.

"Well. Welcome back, sleeping beauty." The dark voice of the Black Knight spoke in her ears.

Cassandra yelped and stood. Turning around to see the Shadow King looking down at her with his right eye brow arched in amusement.

"Wh-what happened?" she asked.

"You both fainted because of the ReDead carcasses. Need I continue?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

She shook her head, holding her stomach as she began to feel sick again with the images of the undead demons clouding her mind. The horrible stench. She shuddered as her nose imagined the smell.

"You'll get used to that sensation. You had better, otherwise you will be vomiting and passing out allot in this world." The dark king warned, a childish smile on his features. Despite how chilling his words proved to be, Cassandra was eased by his charm. But it was in this moment of content that she recalled her sister, and the fact she was not in her sight.

"Wait, where's Sophitia?" she asked.

"Do not fear for her. She is with my other three generals in the next room training to fight demons like those you had already encountered, and much much worse. Your next in line." He answered in a monotone voice, standing tall and walking to the entrance of the 'training room'.

Cassandra walked up to his side, still awed by his presence, and trying to piece together her dreams and figure it all out. She saw as Wolfiah and Sophitia clashed blades, Wolfiah shouting commands on what Sophitia needs to target. The other two generals were keeping watch on the other doors to make sure no more demons came running in uninvited.

She wondered if she should tell him about her dream. But when she turned to her side to see him, he was gone.

*If you need me, summon me. But only if you truly need my aid, otherwise I won't come, you must do all in your power to defend yourself. Be safe, Oh warrior of the gods. And may the gods guide you.* his demonic voice spoke to her in her mind.

Cassandra turned around to face her sister. They must have finished. Wolfiah was beckoning her over to the center of the ring.

'_Well, I guess it'll have to wait until later..._' she mused.

Readying her sword and shield, she stepped into the ring and prepared for a spar with the Black Legion's deadliest warrior, Royal Advisor and High General, Wolfiah.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope that was good! I'll bet most of you will catch the reference in terms of events at the beginning of the story! Reviews always keep me motivated!


	5. The Basements

**A/N:** Finally got around to writing some updates. If any of you have played the Oracle of Ages game, you'll know who I'm mentioning here in a moment. And the one you guys may know from Soul Calibur III game from Ivy's ending you'll recognize as well, I just twisted a few things around while giving said person a background (Don't hate me.). I also decided to add some humor in this while keeping to it's true horror based image.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Soul Calibur or Zelda.

**Legend:**

* = Telepathic speech

" = Standard speech

' + _I_ = Character thoughts

* + _I_ = Spiritual speech

**Soul Calibur: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter V: The Basements**

Deep in the basements of the Black Fortress, the Black Knight watched Cassandra from afar as she countered swing after swing of Wolfiah's assault. She was a quick learner, no doubt. Already she had mastered some of the techniques it took blood sweat and tears for the king himself to learn.

But then again, he was much less experienced and younger at the time.

He turned away, it was time he scouted ahead and search for the items he needs the sisters to acquire.

Backing away from the high balcony, the Black Knight jumped over the other side and fell into a seemingly endless abyss. After only a moment, he reached the ground with a heavy thud as he landed on his feet. His glowing eyes searched the surrounding shadows for the path he sought until he felt a searing pain course through his chest. With a gasp and checked himself.

He wasn't harmed.

'_Goddesses...My time is growing short. The curse is draining my energy._' He thought. He gave a grunt and stood.

'_There. That is where the Sword of Flame should be._' He concluded after spotting a door on the far right from where he stood. He walked over, being cautious not to attract the lurkers in the dark even though none were near him. He didn't want to draw the demon's attention in this direction, they would surely notice the other's presence.

*My lord! A pleasure to see you free again!* A happy-go-lucky, seductive, slightly deep feminine voice suddenly shouted in his mind. The Black Knight grabbed his head in pain as the voice was too loud. He growled under his breath, he knew who had just entered his mind.

*_Shh!_ Will you be quiet? You're giving me a Majora of a headache!* The King whispered exasperated. He was answered with the sound of giggling from the other end of the hallway, but when he looked, he saw no one.

*Yvi, where are you?* The Black Knight addressed the voice sounding annoyed.

*Nearby. Come see me when you are finished with whatever you are doing.* Yvi said in answer before her connection to him left his mind.

"Damn her...She's almost as bad as Veran." The Black Knight muttered. He remembered what he had to do to get the sorceress on his side, he wasn't to happy about it either. But he had no choice, he needed someone who was familiar with the Demon King's tactics, strategy and other things.

The Black Knight walked up to the door and twisted the knob, it creaked loudly, making the King wince.

'_Note too self: When free, have all the doors oiled._' He noted mentally. He peeked inside the door, like everywhere else in the fortress, the room was pitch black.

He walked in, he didn't feel any danger nearby. He held his hands up at his sides and the torches suddenly flared with fire, lighting up the room. The Black Knight scanned the area until he came upon the dais in which the sword itself was supposed to be embedded in marble stone in a similar way his old Master Sword was in the Temple of Time.

But it was not there.

Cursing furiously, the Black Knight ran up the dais and searched around for the red bladed sword. But to no avail, it was missing. The demons must have found a way to grab it and leave before he got here.

Yvi's voice suddenly cackled in his mind.

*Lost something, have we?* She mocked playfully.

*Yvi? _You_ took the sword?* The king seethed.

*No, no. I _saved_ it before some of the Darknuts could find it. They've been ransacking the fortress and stealing your legendary keepsakes.* Yvi explained calmly through telepathy.

"**WHAT?**" The king's low yet loud voice roared in outrage. The Darknuts were supposed to be occupying the higher areas of the fortress, not running throughout it's deeper levels.

*Master, I doubt that is the best way to go unnoticed. A word of advice, keep your voice down...please?* Yvi informed in a childish tone. The King slapped himself on the forehead.

'_I _really_ need to learn some control..._' He mused mentally with a sigh.

*Indeed.* Yvi's voice answered him giggling, obviously she heard him.

*Stop reading my thoughts! Now where are you?* The king demanded. He felt a pull from the opposite end of the hallway, where he originally heard the giggling come from.

Grumbling about how annoying Yvi has always been to him, the Black Knight marched out the room and slammed the door. And he was immediately pounced by a ReDead for his lack of stealth.

"What the-? Blasted beast!" He cursed at the moaning creature as it attempted to bite at his skin. The Black Knight threw a punch to its stomach, causing the undead creature to double over with black liquid oozing out from its mouth before the merciless left fist of the King slammed into the creature's twisted deformed face in a crushing blow, the force of the hit shattered the creature's skull, yet it still lived. Sorta.

The King grabbed its shoulders and forced the ReDead to turn. His eyes flared much brighter as he absorbed the unholy energy that animated the walking, decomposing swine. It screeched as whatever life it possessed was drained and its energy reaped, before crumbling to the floor where it vanished in a black mist.

"Impressive ability, my king." Yvi's voice said from behind. The king glared at the shadows ahead of him. He could feel her smirk and her damned blue eyes on his back.

"One I hold no pride over." He answered her, turning around to meet the ghostly pale women who looked exactly like Ivy did only she wore a witch's hat, black high-heels and her out-fit may not have been exactly as Ivy's, but it was almost as revealing, but over it was a black robe that could be seen through. Yvi was a servant of Soul Edge before the Shadow Wars, she was a vampire who possessed no real physical shape until Soul Edge summoned her to stop Ivy's ancestor from shattering it long ago.

Yvi also possessed no name, so when she came into contact with Ivy's past self, Soul Edge created her image as that of Ivy's, only mirrored (Meaning Ivy's left arm was her claw hand. Where as Yvi's right arm is the armored one.) and granted her the name 'Yvi'. She did not possess a snake sword like the real Ivy did. When the Black Knight was resurrected, she became his servant. For the right price of course.

"So, master Link-" she began, revealing the King's name before being interrupted by him.

"Oi! I do not want to be called by that name again! I am no longer worthy of it." He hissed quietly yet venomously, making Yvi smirk at him in amusement.

"As you wish, my lord. Now, about that sword..." She stated, grinning. Link groaned, she wanted something from him and it was likely something he didn't want to give her.

"What do you want? Power, glory, wealth?" He muttered exasperated. Completely forgetting the fact she happened to be a vampire.

"Let us speak in my chambers." She suggested, casting a paranoid look around the hallway. Grumbling, Link followed Yvi back to her room. It was loaded in books, it had a cauldron on a fire in the middle with a mix of blue, red and green smoke coming from within, likely making Link's potions as she also served as his potion maker.

She did, after all, possess skills in alchemy (she's a physical copy of Ivy, with that comes some of Ivy's skills, like alchemy).

The bed she had was fit for a queen and had those curtains on the side in case she wished to sleep while being secluded from view. The mattress was made of material so soft, the sleeper literally sunk into it.

There were no windows to speak of, but it was perfect temperature in the room, likely a spell she had casted for comfort. Unlike all the other rooms of the castle, this one had a rustic color to it, the thick carpets were royal red as if royalty resided within this room. There was a chair on a dais at the north end of the room that had a tall back, it was cushioned with finely made pillows. The material was also red in color, but the oak wood was painted gold.

She also had a couch against the wall on the west side of the room, next to some of her bookshelves and a large chair in front of the fireplace.

The room smelled of roses, there were even a few in vases on the mantle piece and around the wall on shelves. The sheets of Yvi's bed had rose like design netted in them by Link's cloth-makers and the wall paper was also rose design. Yvi had all she ever desired within the spacious chamber. All she earned from her duties as Link's alchemist and info gatherer.

By the chair that seemed like a throne, a beautifully carved table with rose-like carvings and shaped legs held a fine crystal glass on top with some sort of black substance. Link gazed at the ebony fluid curiously.

"Yvi, what's this?" he asked her, she was busy digging through her closet door in search of the sword that she made sure was hidden well in case she too was raided. She looked up at her king's words and gave a dark smile at the glass.

"I can only stand to drink one thing, sire." She hinted. Link's face remained confused, though he knew what she was talking about. Blood.

"Well, who's is it? It doesn't look like any normal blood to me." Link stated. Yvi cackled as she dropped the remains of a ReDead at his feet. It seemed drained and had cuts all over its body, its skin was also charcoal black. Link's face twisted into pure disgust and he gagged. The sight of the horribly mangled body was not what got him, it was the thought of her drinking its blood that counted.

"What the hell made you do a stupid thing like drinking ReDead blood?" He demanded loudly. Yvi laughed and shrugged.

"Well, its been over two-thousand years since my last drink, but since there is so little life in these creatures, it only sustains me for a few days. If I was to drink enough from the living, I would last for another two thousand years." she explained, hinting again though Link was oblivious to her meaning.

"Impossible. There's no way anyone but myself can survive the venom of these foul things. And I have no one of the living to ask for donors. Not willingly, that is." He answered with a thoughtful expression, holding his chin while avoiding looking at Yvi or the ReDead corpse.

"I know someone who would do just fine. If he can give me enough, plus some more for my cure for ReDead venom, a cure to remove my need to drink blood to sustain life and other projects I am working on." She explained, still looking at Link.

"Who?" Asked Mr. Oblivious. Chuckling, Yvi circled Link, tracing her finger around his shoulders before letting her hand rest on his cheek, earning her a look from Link.

"Why you, sire. You're the only one with enough power in his blood to give me the life I need." she explained with her smile never leaving her face. Link was beginning to get creeped out by this all. His jaw dropped when her words registered.

"What? Oh no, I am _not_ going through that again!" He said firmly. She was asking a bit too much from him, she wanted blood to drink, and some to experiment with. And he was weakening by the second, thanks to the curse.

"If you loose me, you loose any connection with Soul Edge and a willing potion maker. And I guarantee you, no one else can make them as sweet as I can." She said in a sing-song voice with the biggest and brightest smile she could possible have on her face. Link tensed, he hated it when she did this to him. She was right, everyone else could not take the bitter sourness of the potions and turn it into something more enjoyable to taste. Not too mention she was the best healer in the Kingdom.

"For Din's sake, Yvi! The curse is killing me off, I may not have enough for you to drink and take!" He said, irritated.

"Well, If you don't have enough, I can just get some more when you're free. I already know about the new-comers, they should do a fine job in releasing you. Not too mention they need the Sword of Flames to advance." She retorted. Link shuddered. He wasn't getting out of this, she held the sword and she knew how to hide the things he needed to get what she wanted.

"...Fine. Make it quick." he said in defeat as he tore his breast plate from his chest and unclipped his cape and shoulder-guards. Yvi seemed to jump with joy as she quickly gathered a few empty wine bottles and a knife, making Link roll his eyes at her as he tore his green tunic down the side to reveal his neck.

Yvi placed all the items she needed on a table next to her bed and pulled Link down onto it, making him sit on the, for him, much too comfortable mattress. What she did next surprised him, she ripped his hat off and practically threw herself at him.

"Yvi! What the hell?" Link gasped. Apparently she had been alone for too long.

"Relax, my king. Just relax..." she said soothingly into his ear. She moved her lips around his neck line, seemingly searching for the right spot. When she found it, she sat up while keeping Link down.

"If I am to get enough, I'll need you to remain relaxed." She instructed. Link grumbled but nodded. She leaned down and placed her lips on his quickly before moving back down to the spot she found earlier. Waiting until Link had relaxed enough for her liking and she positioned herself comfortably, she placed her lips on his neck. As gently as she could, she bit him. Link tensed slightly at the pain it brought him but quickly relaxed again.

As she drank; some of Link's blood flowed onto his tunic, staining it red. As the time went by, Yvi began to tighten her grip. As she tightened, Link felt weaker and weaker.

'_She's drinking too much...!_' He thought. Her grip was now painfully tight, her nails were digging into his skin. Finally Yvi stopped and withdrew her teeth, as an added measure, she placed her hand on his neck and whispered a spell to close the wound.

She sat up and took a deep breath. Her mouth and neck was red from his blood, and her bed was also stained. She opened her eyes, and with a look, said "Thank you" before licking her lips clean and wiping her neck. Link was deathly tired now, he could barely move. Yvi prepared for this, she grabbed one of the potions on the table that Link had failed to see her grab earlier and popped the cork off. She tilted his head back and helped him drink it.

Link's energy instantly returned, he felt his blood appear as if from nowhere and fill his veins again. He didn't even feel slightly tired. He looked up at her after stretching.

"What was that? It was like you never bit me." He muttered. Yvi smirked again at him before grabbing the knife.

"Just a precaution. You managed to provide me just enough blood for another two thousand years and live. That potion was meant to restore your blood so I can begin extracting more for the second part of the agreement." she explained.

She stood up and grabbed a small tub from underneath her bed and placed it in front of Link. Her smile became a bit more sympathetic as she waited for him to get ready.

"Oh Goddesses. Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking." He said. She held the knife in her hands and nodded.

'_Damn...Now I get my throat slit. How did I get involved in all this? Damn destiny..._' he cursed mentally as he dropped to his knees and leaned over the tin tub. Yvi also dropped, grabbed his shoulder with her right arm and held the dagger at his throat.

"Ready?" She whispered. Link nodded, and then she cut his throat open causing Link to make a gurgling noise.

Rivers of blood flowed from the cut, all of it practically pouring into the tub. Yvi watched it all as if she was in a trance as she supported Link, she had another potion for him to drink, but she wasn't going to give it to him just yet.

Link started slumping, his gurgling struck a string of pity in Yvi.

'_It's funny what he does to help those he loves._' She thought, referring to the Athenian. She just didn't understand mortals.

But Link is no longer mortal, now is he?

When the tub was full, and Link nearly dead, Yvi finally made him drink the potion. And as the potion's continents poured down Link's severed throat, his wound healed and closed without so much as a scar, and his blood multiplied until he was normal again. He gasped, holding his throat. When he finally settled down, he turned and glared at Yvi, making her smirk again.

"You know with all the blood you got from me-" He coughed, "I might as well-" cough, "Make another clone, for this very purpose! You had better hope that cure works this time. Because I don't want to go through _that_ again." He gasped out. The comment made Yvi laugh hysterically as she just held Link up from falling back. When he tried to stand, she helped him slowly.

"Okay..." He shuddered, "Now that _that_ is over with, where's my sword?" He asked. She smirked again and whispered a chant. In her hands appeared a sword with a red blade, it had a perfectly round ruby red gem embedded on the counter-weight of the hilt and the guard was shaped in that of dragon wings pointing towards the blade.

It had a sheath that was red with gold plating and a strap. The blade was three-feet long and the hilt was one foot. Embedded in the blade itself, was the symbol of the Shadow Empire. A wolf head with a dragon muzzle and teeth, and mouth wide-open. Its mane was that of a dragons.

The blade itself was a double edge with an arrow-head tip (Meaning it's shaped like the Master Sword.), it seemed razor sharp, even after a thousand years. The hilt was gray in color with the design etched in. One of the finest swords in creation.

Link grabbed the hilt and held it up to inspect it. As he held it, a red flame erupted from the base of the hilt and silently with a quiet 'shing' noise flowed down to the tip of the blade before disappearing.

Link grinned. "Excellent, It still recognizes its master." He stated.

Yvi watched the blade, it had slain dragons in the past, and was also known to repel vampires as well. Link grabbed the sheath and Yvi was relieved that he was sheathing it. The blade did not seem to be very pleased with her. It harbors the spirit of a fire fairy who channels her power into the blade, giving it the ability to command flame. If the flame is from holy spirits like the fairy, vampires can not touch it.

"What are you going to do now, my lord?" Yvi asked. Link glanced at her before walking to the door.

"I have to go find the Fire Rod. Isn't Veran guarding it?" He asked. Yvi nodded.

"She is, though I am not sure if she still possesses it. The demons had been gathering near her chambers, they're probably looking for the rod." She informed. Link growled in irritation.

"Do you have anymore potions? And do you know any spells to slow down the curse's effect?" Link asked. Yvi nodded and moved around the room, she grabbed a sack and began putting a few potions in. When she had filled the bag up, she returned to Link.

"I have the potions, but I don't know any proper spells. Veran may help, she is the fortress' sorceress. It's her specialty, not mine." Yvi explained.

"Thank you. I think." Link stated, making Yvi laugh as he opened the door.

"One more thing Yvi, I need you to keep a close eye on the new-comers, With me busy trying to reach Veran, it's likely I wont be able to keep a good eye on them. If they need some potions, take them some." Link instructed. Yvi smirked.

"Yes, my lord." She responded, mocking a servant's tone. Link rolled his eyes at the vampire and left.

* * *

"Time!" Wolfiah shouted. For the second time in row, Cassandra landed all three blows on her. Well, as many as one can to a spirit.

Wolfiah walked up to a painting Cassandra and smiled with satisfaction. Sophitia was clapping with the other two generals at Cassandra's excellent performance, she had completed every one of Wolfiah's challenges with little difficulty and only had to retry some once or twice.

"Well done. If only more of my students had such caliber as you do." Wolfiah commented. Cassandra grinned in response.

"Thanks." She panted. Standing, she walked over to Sophitia who praised her for her achievement. Before they could say much more, Wolfiah walked up and interrupted them.

"Rest well, for we must continue. The Master wants us to locate some of the legendary items hidden within the Fortress itself. These items are key to victory in this trial, and the demons lurking in the fortress will likely seek them to prevent the king from being released." Wolfiah explained.

"What happens if he is released?" Sophitia asked.

"Well, if he has the opportunity to rejuvenate his power, he will be too strong for the demons to battle. If things go right, he will have the power to revive his armies, further destroying their chances of holding the fortress. Added to that, he will be the greatest threat to the Demon King's Empire." Wolfiah informed.

"Why him? Isn't there someone else who can challenge this, Demon King?" Cassandra asked.

"Not likely, our king has been destined since Hyrule's birth to defend the Sacred Realm from evil hearted beings like the Demon King. Only he has the power to defeat him." Dragonas explained.

"I don't understand." Sophitia said, her face confused.

"You are not expected to. Our master has been around for much longer than one millennium, his soul that is. He has been reincarnated throughout time when evil shall rise within the Kingdom of Hyrule. He rises as a great warrior, be it from royalty or peasantry, his spirit remains the same. He seeks out the Princess of Destiny who shall stand at his side during such dark times and help him defeat the darkness that has attacked." Shadowess explained.

As the information sunk in, Cassandra looked to the cliff high balcony far up above. She could feel the Black Knight's eyes on her when she was training. Though, he was not there now, she knew he was there. Several times through the training session, she thought she heard his voice from far away, but it was too shallow to make out, plus she was in the middle of a spar.

Sophitia was asking more questions now, curiosity seemed to have possessed her. Cassandra didn't bother what she was asking, she knew a lot already. Enough to sake her own curiosity. With her mind clear, Cassandra walked over to the edge of the cliff, there were no railings to speak of. One slip and she would descend to her death in the deep, dark abyss.

Ignoring whatever warning her mind was giving her, Cassandra sat down on the edge to think to herself. Things were getting hectic fast. Too fast. So many questions she had needed asking thanks to that strange dream from earlier. She wondered if she called the king now, if he would respond. He said to only summon him if she needed help, but Cassandra technically needed help now.

'_Heh, he wont try anything. I can release him. He wont harm whoever can release him from this fate._' She thought smugly after considering the consequences of going against his word.

Before she could try, she felt a cold chill run up her spine. Sighing, she turned around to see Dragonas' elegant face staring down at her in inquiry. Cassandra shrugged.

"Yeah?" She answered the unspoken call.

"What's on your mind, milady?" Dragonas asked while sitting down next to Cassandra. Cassandra looked at her, she wasn't used to being called in a way royalty was. Shaking it off, she responded.

"I was just thinking about your king." She answered. Dragonas secretly smirked to herself.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"Well, I know a lot, but...Does he have a name?" Cassandra started. Dragonas looked away.

"He did." Dragonas answered.

"What was it?" Cassandra asked. Dragonas paused.

"...Link..." Dragonas said, at the name, a chilling gust of wind swept by, and the image of Link's head snapping in their direction with his glowing white eyes glaring malevolently at them passed through their sight before disappearing.

"Though he wishes it forgotten." Dragonas added after shaking the image loose, earning a look of interest from Cassandra. "He feels he is no longer worthy of being called by his name any longer due to his past 'sins.'" Dragonas explained, making quotes with her fingers on the word 'sins'.

"Really? And what were they?" Cassandra asked curiously after recovering from her surprise. Dragonas considered telling her. She would likely get a mouthful from Link later, he always found out. Deciding she could deal with it, she decided to enlighten Cassandra.

"Your ancestors...really were you." Dragonas revealed. Cassandra's face remained blank before her jaw dropped and her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could ask, Dragonas continued.

"You see, like our king, you and your friends are resurrected when ever trouble comes. In your case, Soul Edge. The gods favor your souls as the ones likely the best choice for fighting this evil. The day you and your friends cut our lord down when he was only a hero, you all were being influenced by the Demon King's magic. You see, he possesses the ability to manipulate every emotion within a person, be them strong or weak it matters not. Through Soul Edge, he twisted your darkest emotions into purest malice and like puppets on strings, engineered your betrayal." Dragonas said, Cassandra was utterly stunned by this.

"When King Link had been casted into the dark abyss, the Demon King had created a portal for which the body of the hero had passed through which led him to the Dark World of Hyrule, the true Sacred Realm which had been ravaged by the Demon King when he touched the sacred Triforce. The Demon King had hoped of reviving the hero's soul to serve him, but the Sheikah tribe, the only people who could walk in the Dark World without being transformed by its evil energy found him first.

"Their leader who lives still, Impa the Shadow Sage managed to revive him. But something went wrong in the ritual, the Demon King had corrupted the hero's soul, turning him into what he is now. Darkness in physical form. Through Link, the Demon King raised us who had his mind and ruled the Dark World from his seal with an iron fist. Link had become the King of Darkness and the Sheikah served him loyally at Impa's command so that she may get close to him and discover why he became something he was not. She discovered the truth when Link had resisted the Evil King's will long enough to speak with Impa.

"She tried furiously to release Link from the mind-control, sometimes she had reached him but he was lost again. When Link began to resist the Demon King's control, he forced Link to hunt your friends down and kill them all viscously. Though as your friends died, a massive conflict broke out within Link over the ordeal. Mixed emotions; some true, some false hid the inner struggle the King had fought. When your death had passed, he broke free. With the power Darkness had granted him, he destroyed us and recreated us his way. We remained physically the same, but our true allegiances was switched. With us at his back, he unleashed his new-found fury and malice against the Demon King. In a war that shook two worlds in six years, Soul Edge and the Demon King's forces had been defeated, the last of their generals killed.

"One of the Demon King's servants, Veran, had defected to Link's side and provided us with the information we needed to launch strategic attacks against the Demon King's strongholds. Link also acquired a servant from Soul Edge as well. The King's alchemist, Yvi. She was a vampire spirit that had eventually been given the shape of one of your friends. When Link came and casted the Sword into the void, she appeared and pledged her soul and allegiance to him if he would meet her needs to survive. In return, she would help him with knowledge against Soul Edge and other services.

"Both still live today, and both remain in this fortress. Among other duties, they are tasked by King Link with guarding some of the Ancient Treasures that we need to find." Dragonas explained, finishing the tale.

"Wow. I...Don't know what to say..." Cassandra got out, now she had more questions. It sounded insane to her, but then again, seeing things like the walking dead and the vengeful spirit of a fallen hero walk and talk tends to silence the skeptics.

"Don't say anything. The king will likely have my head for telling you this." Dragonas said, casting a paranoid look around.

*What you don't know, is I have just heard everything you said. Dragonas...* Link's voice entered Dragonas' mind, causing her to jump.

*Ah! U-uh...M-my Lord! I-I was only explaining the necessities of your past! Surely you would have wanted her to know!* Dragonas responded sheepishly. Link grumbled in the telepathic connection.

*I told you not to ever bring my name up again! Farore, you almost as bad as Yvi...Listen, the Darknuts are ransacking the fortress for the Ancient Treasures. Yvi had to remove the Sword of Flames before they could steal it. Avoid the hallways until I acquire the Fire Rod from Veran. We'll test the two in a different way, if circumstance allows.* Link explained.

*...Aye sire.* Dragonas acknowledged.

*Oh, and Dragonas?* Link called again.

*Yes?* She responded.

*When we get out of this, I may hang you myself.* Link said in an all too sweet voice with a laugh, making Dragonas gulp though she knew he wouldn't go so far. Or at least she hoped he wouldn't.

*Now, shoo.* He commanded.

*Y-yes, my lord.* Dragonas acknowledged with a heated blush of embarrassment on her face before Link's presence left her mind.

"Dragonas?" Cassandra called out to the general, poking her transparent form. Dragonas looked up and gasped. Things were changing fast, if they could not keep up then they would loose.

"Listen, you can tell your sister what I have revealed, but the plan has changed. Things just got a bit harder." Dragonas said. She looked up one last time at the other end of the enormous underground cavern known as the fortress' basement. Every now and then she caught sight of a ReDead standing idly that could be easily avoided or defeated as long as they were not in numbers.

Standing up and pulling Cassandra to her feet, they walked back to the others.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay -sigh- that was a bit longer than intended. But the more, the merrier. Hopefully this chapter did some decent explaining and helped clear a few things up. If you're still unsure of something, be sure to tell me in a review and I'll explain it further. Next chapter will have Link reuniting with Veran the Sorceress and some combat with Cassandra and the group.

One other thing, Has anyone reading this seen the 'Courage the cowardly dog' Cartoon show? If so, when I say that Link grumbles in this story, think about how Eustace grumbles about something. Adds to the humor that I can't help but input in this story. :D


	6. A New Trial

**A/N:** Things are changing, read on to find out what I mean. More humor ahead, can't help it. More 'Courage the Cowardly Dog' Eustace references! XD gets a little serious towards the end again though.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, of course.

* * *

**Soul Calibur II: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter VI: A New Trial**

Link walked silently through the dark corridor that would take him to Veran's chambers with the Sword of Flame in his left hand.

'_I should make sure it still has enough power to heed my commands._' Link mused mentally as he dropped his gaze to the sword, it having heard his thoughts glowed red in response. Link smirked at it as he continued to march through the hallway.

'_Worry not, old friend. I will test you soon. All in good time._' He thought to it.

Link's thought reverted to Cassandra briefly, he had not sensed any danger around her though his range was dropping fast with his energy. The king let out a heavy sigh, one of weariness amassed over a thousand years with no rest. Stuck in the same spot with no control over his dead body, his soul stuck in place yet he could not move. His darkened heart weighed down with heavy guilt mixed with sorrow and hate.

A fate he wished on no one.

Even with his generals and his right hand man, his thousand years of solitude were not the same without hearing _her_ voice and seeing _her_ face. He could feel nothing, not the wind upon his face nor the chilling cold of Kingdom. Nor the warmth of Impa's flesh when she visited him last.

Link gave a sad smile at that, Impa hated nothing more than being helpless to do something on her own. It was a huge blow to her pride as a Sheikan leader. That was why she had stopped visiting him over two hundred years ago. She couldn't stand seeing him chained to his throne unmoving from the same spot where he had been sealed in shadow.

Lost in thought, Link failed to sense the presence behind him.

A young woman with greenish blue skin wearing a purple out-fit and a scythe shaped hat with fiery red hair approached the unknowing king. Her eyes were crimson red, her lower skirt was white in color and she held a staff in her hands. It was brown and twisted, a simple spell-caster staff. On the tip was a blue jewel reflecting the woman's mischievous face. She gave a sly grin when she arrived at Link's tall back. She inhaled deeply yet softly briefly before screaming at the top of her lungs.

"_**Booooo!**_" An achingly familiar voice screamed behind Link, sounding like a ReDead's screech.

"_**Gaaah!**_" Link yelped in horror as he jumped into the air, his head hitting the ceiling, making him shout "_**OW!**_" as he began to descend. When he fell down flat on his face, a very threatening feeling engulfed the immediate area, coming from him as he began to growl ominously, his voice becoming demonic once again and his face darkening. The sound of a young woman in her early twenties laughed hysterically until Link heard something hit the ground behind him.

"_**Hang it all, Veran!**_" Link shouted grumpily, though it was muffled by the deep blue carpet. The feminine body of Veran crawled its way over to Link, still laughing.

"Hehehaha, you should have seen your face! Haha, priceless!" Veran exclaimed between bouts of laughter while Link growled darkly from his position on the ground. Link lifted his head to give Veran a death glare, she sat there on her hip still laughing.

"It's been a thousand years since we have seen each other, a thousand years since I could walk down the hallways of my fortress. Even after a thousand years have passed, you are still giving me heart attacks!" Link growled. Veran continued to laugh for a moment before she responded.

"Aww boohoo, did I scare poor wittle oh winky, hm?" She asked grabbing Link's cheek and shaking it a bit, using baby talk before her giggling started back up again. Link was two seconds from pouncing her and ripping her to shreds, but calmed himself down before he lost his temper.

"Shut up, Veran. And get away from me!" Link hissed as he tried to stand. Veran rolled her eyes as she grabbed him and helped the king to his feet.

"Aah, so when did you get free?" She asked. Link grumbled like he did before answering.

"I didn't, this is just a shell to hold my spirit." He answered a little impatiently, Veran made an 'aww' sound with a grin.

"And you came to see me! Oh, how thoughtful of you. Hehe." She giggled. Link got a sudden evil idea.

"Uh oh, it's the Demon King!" Link shouted pointing behind her, Veran paled considerably before her face twisted into rage as she whipped around, casted a powerful shadow spell which exploded at the end of the hall, waited until the smoke cleared only to see no one there.

"Wha- … hmph, that was a cheap trick Link." She stated with a pout as she began turning around to face the former Hero of Time. Only, he wasn't there.

"...Ooh, sneaky aren't we? Want to play hide and seek? Two can play at that game." Veran said with a smirk as she walked down the hallway using her magic to track Link.

'_I love to cheat._' She thought with glee.

* * *

Link stood at the corridor that led to Veran's chambers, he could tell she was more focused on annoying the living hell out of him rather than guarding his rod, so he tricked her and bolted for her room. He searched the dark path for her door which stood out against the rest of the black oak doors. Hers was green in color.

Link jumped over a bit of ruins lying in the middle of the hall, likely the work of the Darknuts attempting to destroy his fortress.

"Damn demons...Took me years to finish this fortress." Link muttered to himself as he examined the large chunk of stone behind him.

He raised his sword which emitted a red glow, illuminating the hallway in a warm red light. Link took two steps forward with his armor rattling when the sounds of bestial growling and snorting came from around the corridor. Link sheathed the sword on his back and slipped into a dark corner as he watched for whatever would emerge from the passage.

'_Why do I feel like someone is breathing hot and heavy down my back?_' Link asked himself mentally. The feeling stopped and he shrugged it off.

From the corridor emerged a black armored knight with a massive sword and shield stomping ahead of two creatures that seemed like muscular pigs wearing more primitive armor holding spears. One was growling, the other snorting. The knight merely kept quiet as it marched along.

Link narrowed his eyes in the shadows.

"One Darknut and two Moblins..." He uttered to himself. After he said that, the feeling of someone breathing down his back returned.

"What the hell is going on here...?" Link exclaimed quietly as he began turning around.

"Hi!" Veran shouted in front of his face. Link fell back in surprise at her sudden exclamation.

'_Din dammit, she's fast!_' Link thought. Veran than did something he never expected her to do. She glomped him.

The added weight had Link swinging his arms around, making 'woosh' noises, desperate to gain his balance back as Veran laughed. He eventually toppled backwards with an all too happy sorceress on his chest. Link's head hit the hard stone floor and he groaned. He lifted a hand to hold his aching head as Veran squeezed his neck tightly. Link made noises with his eyes wide before he tapped Veran's shoulder.

"What?" She asked looking at him. Link managed to get his mouth up and wheeze out a few words.

"...Air...! ...Can't...breathe!" He exclaimed. Veran gasped and released him, letting Link's head hit the concrete. Again.

"_**OW!**_" Link yelled as he gasped for breath. A splitting headache began pulsing in his brain. Veran gave a sheepish smile as she stood. Link took his time in standing, allowing the blood to flow to his head as he sat before he tried standing.

"What's the big idea scaring the living daylights outta me, banging my head on the ceiling, stalking me around my own bloody fortress, breathing down my back disturbingly close, jumping on me, and then trying to strangle me to death with another bang on me head?" Link asked, sounding more like he was ranting about something. Veran put on an innocent smile and shrugged.

"Well, I haven't had any company in so long, kinda missed ya. How did you expect me to act? Did you want me to walk up to you and say: Hi Link! Want to come over for some tea?" Veran asked, defending herself. Link slapped himself on his face, then regretted it because of the headache.

'_She was never even this close as annoying when she and I fought in Labrynna. What in Farore's name happened to her? For some odd reason, I'd prefer the old Veran over this one...wait, what am I thinking?_' Link thought to himself.

"One, that was just plain weird. Two, I would have rather you have done that than use me as a play toy." Link grumbled. He stood and Veran pulled him into a hug, again, humming as she did so.

"Get off me!" Link shouted, prying her off him. He gave her a weird look as he watched her pout childishly.

"Doesn't anything get you down anymore?" Link asked.

"I have been blessed with a sunny disposition. Most people in Kingdom and your army seem to like it." She said crossing her arms and turning her back to him. Link frowned.

"Regardless, I-" Link started before his eyes widened, he grabbed Veran and jumped aside. Veran gasped in surprise at the sudden contact. A large black sword slammed into the spot Link was standing a second ago. As the two hit the ground, Link had the manners to ensure he hit the ground first and softened Veran's landing. He didn't know why he did it, considering all she puts him through, but he did it.

Link looked up at the being holding the sword, the Darknut stood there as it hefted its blade back up.

"Oh yeah? What does that do for your disposition?" Link asked Veran, who was a little dazed by the sudden impact.

"Scooblakas venn, exodist ciadi! (Black king, surrender immediately!)" The knight shouted in a deep voice at Link in its ancient language. Link pushed Veran off him unceremoniously as he stood, earning a glare from her but nothing more. He did break her fall.

"Mell-on. (Never.)" Link answered it back in the same language, narrowing his eyes and drawing his fire sword. Veran stood and hissed a chant, her staff appeared in her hand at the command. The two Moblins from earlier arrived as well, flanking the Darknut.

"Ruen vur lak ti! (Then you shall die!)" The Darknut roared as it charged Link. Link positioned his feet comfortably as he held the Sword of Flame at his side in both hands.

'_I guess the test begins. Sword,_' Link called to the blade, it glowed in response. '_Show me your rage._' Link commanded mentally. The blade of the sword exploded in flames and Link gave a feral grin.

The Darknut slowed down in its charge after seeing this. Link lifted the sword, its point pointing forward and Link swung a reverse vertical strike at the approaching knight, catching it off guard. The thick armor it bore protected it from the heat. It shoved its shield into Link's chest, knocking the wind out of him, and then shot its foot at Link's head.

Link brought his arm up and stopped the kick from connecting, he brought his sword up and sliced the helmet of the knight of its head. It wore some kind of mask underneath to conceal its face. The Darknut stumbled back and swung. Link arched his back, narrowly avoiding the blade and kicked the Darknut's feet from underneath it. It fell backwards, giving Link the chance to defeat it; he jumped up and brought the Sword of Flame down on its exposed neck.

The sword flared in flames and burned the armored demon from inside out. It exploded in black mist that faded away when Link withdrew his sword. Link turned around to see a Moblin about to slice him in his mid-section with its large spear.

Link ducked quickly, the spear slicing his armored shoulder sending sparks flying. Link kicked the disgusting creature in its chest, knocking it back before he slammed the tip of his sword into the stone floor. Upon connecting, a wave of fire expanded from the sword's tip in a disc like shape.

"Veran, duck!" Link shouted to the sorceress who casted an offensive spell against the other Moblin, killing it. She looked up, saw the energy wave heading straight for her and dropped to the floor.

The Moblin Link fought with had caught fire and was running around squealing. Link held his head at its high pitched voice. He realized that if any of the other demons heard it, they would come and attack. Link was loosing energy, he couldn't keep this up any longer.

He was no where near this state of weakness before he was sealed but the curse was putting too much strain on him. He drew a hidden dagger from his left boot and with a grunt, hurled it at the Moblin running amok. The blade struck the creature in the back of its head, the force of the throw sent it tumbling forward. Its body twitched before being consumed by the flames that had encircled it.

* * *

Cassandra sat at the edge of cliff in the basement again, she had already told Sophitia what Dragonia had revealed. She was a little more than shocked to learn the truth. Now Sophitia was prying every last bit of information she could from the three generals about her past. Nothing very different than now, she had a family, and she set out to destroy Soul Edge.

Cassandra sighed, according to Link, they had to stay in one spot while he ran some errand.

"Hello." A familiar voice said from behind Cassandra. Her heart dropped. Slowly, Cassandra turned around to see Ivy standing there with a different out-fit and a grin on her face.

"Ivy...? What are you doing here?" Cassandra asked. The woman chuckled and shook her head.

"I'm not Ivy, I'm Yvi. The king's alchemist." Yvi explained. Cassandra stared for a bit longer than she intended when she remembered Dragonia telling her that Yvi was a mirrored physical copy of one of her friends. Ivy sure as hell was no friend, an acquaintance yes, but friend, not by a long shot.

"Oh. I heard of you. What do you want?" Cassandra asked, giving a cautious eye to the alchemist.

"I was told to give you these by the king." Yvi answered simply, handing Cassandra a bag of bottled liquid. Cassandra examined the bag in curiosity, not knowing what the fluid was. She suddenly remembered that Yvi was a vampire. Putting to and too together, she gagged.

"No thanks, I don't drink blood..." Cassandra stated as she handed the bag back to Yvi, wondering if Link drank blood too.

"No no no, this is not blood, girl. These are healing potions. If you're injured, drink some of it and you will be healed. It wont work on a spirit or a demon though. The bottles labeled 'Antidote' is for when you may be bitten by a ReDead. That potion is made of the king's blood and may save your life." Yvi explained with a chuckle. Cassandra whew-ed at first but when Yvi said the antidote had Link's blood in it, her face twisted in horror.

"That's disgusting!" Cassandra exclaimed, drawing the attention of the generals and Sophitia.

"That's alchemy for you. And unless you want to become a ReDead, you had better drink it. If there's one thing I know, is that the king would never be the same if you die under his watch." Yvi said, using her sing-song voice.

"What?" Cassandra asked in surprised. Yvi slapped her mouth with her hand.

"...Damn, I said to much. … He's gonna kill me..." Yvi stated.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what did you mean?" Cassandra asked, a serious expression on her face.

"Can'!" Yvi said quickly before she disappeared in a red bubble like substance that whirled around and flew back to the upper levels of the fortress.

"What's going on?" Sophitia asked, not having heard what Yvi just said or anything before that. Cassandra stood up and faced the generals.

"Thats what I want to know." Cassandra stated. The three generals shared a look of panic.

"Well, start talking!" Cassandra ordered.

"It's best if the king told you instead of us." Shadowess stated.

"What? Tell her what?" Sophitia asked, still being left in the dark with the situation.

The generals said no more on the matter, they were not willing to speak about what Yvi just let out. The three glared at the direction Yvi's chambers were located at. They all began planning to get her back for putting them in this situation.

* * *

Link dropped to his knees panting hard. Veran stood, looking at the burning corpse of the Moblins before both dissolved into black mist.

"Woo!" She cheered. Link, who was sitting against the wall, smiled for a split second, nodded quickly, and held up his hand as if it would speak for him.

"That was fun!" Veran exclaimed. Link rolled his eyes at her as he tried to catch his breath. Veran smiled triumphantly as she sat next to him. She patted Link on the head in an attempt to give him a feeling of accomplishment.

"Stop touching me." Link muttered annoyed, now Veran rolled her eyes.

"Can't even take a joke." She uttered as she stood and grabbed Link's arm.

"Yes well, you take them too far." He retorted back. Veran pulled as hard as she could to lift Link's heavy body up to his feet. He nodded his thanks to her and sheathed the Sword of Flames on his back.

"Veran, I need the Fire Rod." Link stated after a moment of silence between the two. She looked up and nodded.

"I already know, Yvi told me that you were coming. They attacked me in my chambers and took the rod, I chased them into the dining room and got it back. I hid it in the Treasury, you'll find it in the West Wing lying against a wall, all safe and tucked away." Veran assured.

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but...Well done, Veran. Well done." Link said putting his arm around her in a buddy buddy hug. Veran grinned sheepishly in response.

"You need to know something first, kid..." Veran started. Link looked at her, a warning glint in his eyes.

"What?" Link asked, using the 'This had better not be bad news' tone. Veran looked away, contemplating what she was about to reveal. The suspense was eating at Link, he hated it when complications arose.

"Well, before I was raided, I had a miss-fire in a spell..." Veran started uncertainly. She already knew that two souls that did not belong in the Dark World were here, adding to that number was going to spin Link into a dimension of 'pissed off' he had never been in before in his life, she just knew it.

"And?" Link asked, keeping a straight face and previous tone.

"Well...I accidentally...MaybePossiblyProbably...." Veran explained quickly. Too quickly, Link didn't catch a word of that.

"Come again?" He asked. Veran sighed.

"I accidentally casted a spell and summoned someone from another world." She explained slower, she closed her eyes and waited for the upcoming explosion.

* * *

Cassandra stood there in front of Wolfiah who avoided her gaze as Cassandra glared at the three.

"_**WHAAAAAT?**_" Link's voice, as deep and outraged as ever, suddenly shouted from the other end of the cavern. The sudden explosive roar startled the five warriors from their current issue. The yell was so loud pieces of the ceiling started falling off and nearly hit Sophitia in the head.

"What was that?" Sophitia asked after hurriedly dodging the shrapnel. Dragonia hesitated at first. She wasn't sure what she could say, but apparently Link had lost it.

"That was...The king with his temper getting the best of him. Again." Dragonia explained.

"Is that a good thing?" Cassandra asked. Wolfiah shook her head, Shadowess made no movement.

"Nope. Especially when you want to ask him what Yvi meant. I have one thing to say, and that is wait until he has cooled off. Or we may loose our heads, an Alchemist and anyone else nearby." Dragonia answered. Cassandra sulked, every time she wanted to ask something that really bothered her, she was told to wait or never got the chance to ask.

* * *

"Whoa what the-? Zut-alor! Where the hell am I?" A man dressed in nobleman clothing asked, he wore a blue jacket, brown gloves on his hands and a rapier on his side. His eyes were green in color, his hair was dirty blond and wavy. His boots were the same shade of blue as his jacket and his pants were black. Underneath his jacket was a red tunic.

A groan from the man's side interrupted his outburst.

A younger man dressed in a red shirt, white pants, red hair, brown eyes, a martial arts jacket and a curved scimitar sword in his hand sat up.

"Yun-Seong?" The older man asked. Yun-Seong looked up, a bit groggily at first before his eyes widened.

"Raphael Sorel? Whats going on? Where are we?" Yun-Seong asked. Raphael frowned.

"I was hoping you would tell me..." The nobleman answered.

Raphael stood, they were in a room with large jewels littered the floor, some chests made of what looked like gold with smaller gems embedded in it were overloaded with these large jewels. There was very little light in the area, but the gems emitted a soft glow that illuminated the room in an almost beautiful color.

"I don't know about you old man, but I'm getting outta here!" Yun-Seong stated as he moved to the door. Raphael briefly considered if he killed the red-headed Korean, would he have to drag his body back home.

Yun-Seong tried the door, but it was locked.

"Aw, c'mon!" He shouted. Raphael flinched at his shouting.

"Keep your voice down! We don't know what's nearby or where we even are!" Raphael exclaimed softly. Yun-Seong scoffed but sat down on a nearby chest to see if Raphael could come up with a better idea.

* * *

Veran wasn't sure if she should run or stay where she was. Link was furiously beating down a ReDead that had heard him rather savagely. Taking his anger out on one of the things responsible for this whole mess. The creature continued to moan painfully as Link tore its arms off, he grabbed the undead minion by its foot and began swinging it into a stone statue of himself repeatedly until the statue shattered.

"...Um, Link?" Veran called to him, Link either didn't hear her or ignored her. He flung the beaten, walking corpse across the hallway where it struggled to stand, he shot forward, his form becoming a blurring image at the intense speed he moved in.

Link picked the retreating creature off its feet before it could scurry away, apparently it had enough. But Link wasn't done, he lifted the thing high over his head and brought it down on his knee, breaking its back before dropping its body unceremoniously on the floor. Link, his anger still undiminished, punched a nearby door. The force sent it flying off the hinges, he grabbed the brutally beaten ReDead and dragged it into the room, a furious glare on his darkened face and his eyes glowing red rather than white.

"...Excuse me..." Veran whispered again, holding an index finger up as Link began destroying the contents in the room. Plenty of crashing noises and various screaming of different pitch could be heard and Veran huphed in irritation. She placed her hands on her hips and waited. She began tapping her foot impatiently. Link emerged from the doorway, his body covered in blood not belonging to him. It was a mix of green, black and blue. Moblin, ReDead, and Darknut blood respectively.

"Are you done?" She asked, a frown etched in her features. Link nodded before falling forward and passing out, letting a heavy exhale explode from his nostrils that sent the dust all over the floor flying. Veran sighed, she didn't know why but she started chuckling and smiling to herself. This was a bit amusing to her.

"Idiot, he used up his energy too fast. Great, now I have to drag his sorry self back to my room and wait for him to wake up. Thanks allot, Link. And to think, we used to be enemies when he was twelve." Veran muttered as she dragged Link's unconscious body through the hallway.

* * *

Link awoke with a start, he had no memory of what happened previously. Veran tapped him three times on his head a little too hard, making Link wince after each tap. He looked up at her and froze when her face stopped mere inches from his.

They both stared at each other for what seemed like minutes.

"Ello." Veran whispered, Link shouted in surprise.

"What what? Oh, it's just you...What happened?" Link asked after he recovered.

"Well, I mentioned something that you obviously didn't take to well to, then you exploded and killed a ReDead and a room full of minions. Then you passed out." Veran explained. Link's face made no change as the information sunk in, he suddenly covered his face in his hands.

"Damn it all...How much time do I have left?" He asked. Veran shrugged.

"Not much, whatever you're trying to do I suggest you get it over with. I say roughly an hour." She estimated. Link groaned. It wouldn't mean much for him if this body died, he would just be immobile again in his real body which is sealed in his throne room. But knowing that Cassandra and Sophitia were running around Kingdom without anyone who he could really trust bothered him greatly.

An idea suddenly formed in his head when he saw a perfectly round stone crystal clear in appearance.

"Veran, what happened to all my Moon Pearls?" Link asked. Veran looked up from her spell book as she tried to locate a proper spell to slow the curse down.

"You ordered the troops to scatter them throughout Kingdom. All reside within the old temples and one was left with the undead in Shadow's Eve. Why?" Veran answered. It suddenly hit her, Moon pearls held great power within them, the power to resist the influence of evil, the atmosphere of the Dark World and other things. Link was thinking that if the two light-dwellers could amass the pearls, it would be enough energy to break the curse.

"Link, you're a genius." Veran complemented, genuinely surprised he figured out something in a field that wasn't really his expertise. Link grinned smugly, earning Veran's praise wasn't the most sought after thing in his mind but it proved he scored a point over her.

"I have my moments." He answered simply.

"I'm sure." Veran muttered, making Link glare at her back before he chuckled in amusement. Veran continued to read through her book, not finding what she is looking for. She slammed it down and looked for another.

"Never mind, Veran. With this new idea, I just need to figure out who I can trust to help those two and watch over them, there not safe here in Kingdom..." Link muttered.

"What about Morgoth, your Black Rider?" Veran suggested. Link considered it, Morgoth was his right-hand man, the only member of the Black Legion army that wore the same hat Link wore. One would not be able to tell the two apart if it wasn't for two things. Their differing eye color and tone of voice.

"I can't call Morgoth." Link answered. Veran turned and faced him, an inquiring expression on her near divine face. Link took notice of the look she gave him.

"You forget, I sent him to Shadow's Eve to guard the forest during the last battle in the Shadow Wars, that place is dangerous for anyone else but me, the inhabitants kill all who enter but those I allow. I haven't heard from him, but he is the only one of my vast legions to have escaped the curse." Link explained.

"I know, I enchanted him for the last assignment you gave him, stupid thing is, I should have enchanted you as well. That way, Ganon's curse would not have worked on you." Veran mused. At the name, Link turned a very slow and burning glare at her. His face tinted to a blue shade as he turned, eyes burning in purest hate and the room filled with threatening energy.

"...I never want to hear that name in Kingdom again. Every time I save Hyrule, he comes back and messes everything up. If it wasn't for him, I would have been resting in peace by now with the one I love." Link muttered slowly, his voice above a whisper yet filled to the brim with silent venom.

"Sorry." Veran muttered as if she didn't know it was offending to say a name. Granted, the name of the Demon King, but still. That's Veran for you.

"I'll send the girls to Impa instead, I've always trusted her wisdom in these matters." Link concluded, returning to normal. Veran shrugged.

"Well, if you need something, I'll be here. You know where to find me." She said before she casted a spell on Link, a spell giving him a little more strength and teleporting him elsewhere.

* * *

Link appeared in mid air above a pair of golden doors with a sign above marked 'Royal Treasury' when he slowly descended to the ground. He looked around and made sure nothing was nearby. He had the feeling something familiar was close, it wasn't Cassandra or Sophitia.

'_Nayru, please don't be anyone from their group, thats the last thing I need._' Link prayed.

He grabbed the lock and lifted it, rust from years of neglect fell as he opened.

* * *

Raphael was walking back and forth as he thought wildly on what they should do. Yun-Seong was lying back with his hands behind his head in a lazy fashion as he watched the Frenchman contemplate the situation.

"Will you stop doing that? You're making me nervous." Yun-Seong finally said.

"Silence! I'm doing the thinking!" Raphael snapped back. Yun-Seong stuck his tongue out at the man when his back was turned and glared at the door.

A loud noise was heard on the other side, snapping both men out of their thoughts. They drew their weapons and waited. Nothing happened after awhile. They glanced at each other before they hid themselves behind some of the vast treasure.

Two more bangs resounded before the door creaked open slowly. The two glanced around their spots to see what was coming in. What they saw was not what they were expecting. A tall man, six full feet with black armor on his chest, torso, hips, shoulders and fore-arms walked in. he seemed mildly muscular but it was difficult to tell with the armor on. They could clearly see his biceps through his undershirt that seemed muscular enough.

On each shoulder one large spike pointed up, they seemed very sharp and meant to impale something. On the man's arms three rows of half-inch spikes lined the top of his gauntlets and one spike on each knuckle, excluding his thumbs. The man wore a dark green hat on his head, underneath that was unruly blond hair, long pointed ears, a handsome face, and strangely enough his eyes were all white and glowing. As if he were some divine creature.

His feet were covered with black leathered boots with steel plating on the toes and heels, a gray buckle could be seen underneath the flaps of the boots. Each step the man took towards the center of the room was heavy and loud. His armor rattled with every move. Two swords on his left shoulder blade clattered in their sheaths, one had a gray hilt, the other was majestic blue. A large cape fit for the man's size dragged behind him on the various jewels. They could faintly make out a green tunic underneath the armor the man wore, his leggings were a black color however.

The two thought this man seemed familiar, as if they had met him before but they could not recall where. The man marched past them, seemingly unaware of their presence, straight to a portrait on the wall. The portrait was that of a beautiful young woman with long blond hair, crystal blue eyes, similar long ears, a tiara on her forehead, and a pink dress sitting on a golden throne with a radiant smile on her face. The back of her right hand had a triangular marking colored gold with two others of a darker shade, put together to for a larger triangle.

Next to the woman was another woman who seemed taller and more muscular, her eyes were red in color, she wore a breast plate, a pair of skin-tight shorts blue and black, her hair was white as snow yet she seemed young but older than the first woman. Her ears were pointed as well, she had a broad-sword attached to her back. The woman reminded Raphael of Ivy in appearance, yet her choice of wear was more like Taki's.

On the left side of the two woman stood the same man walking before them, only he seemed...different. He was shorter, not as broad, and younger. He couldn't be no more older than the woman on the throne, but the man they saw before them was different in size and build. The younger version of the man had the same crystal blue eyes and held a majestic sword in his left hand. The very same sword the man had now was strapped on his back underneath his cape.

Yun-Seong looked at Raphael in confusion, they watched as the man stared at the painting for a moment before moving off to the left. He disappeared into the mountainousness treasure piles, seemingly searching for something. Yun-Seong signaled that he was moving in for a closer look when Raphael shook his head. Yun-Seong ignored the Frenchman's warning and proceeded anyway. He moved from pile to pile as he neared the trail.

Raphael face palmed at the young Korean.

'_Blundering fool is going to get me killed!_' He thought angrily. He sneaked off behind the younger man, following his tracks. He eventually came up next to him but Yun-Seong paid no attention. His jaw was dropped as he gazed ahead. He turned around slowly and closed his mouth.

"You're not going to believe this..." He whispered. Raphael scoffed.

"Try me." He challenged. Yun-Seong moved behind him and pointed around the corner. Raphael eased his way to get a view, what he saw was the man holding a body that appeared to be a decaying corpse above his head by the neck. A furious glare on his face.

"Where is the rod that was hidden here? What have you done with that rod?" The man asked slowly and quietly. His voice suited his appearance, deep dark and cold. The body moved, making Raphael's eyes widen in shock.

"Merry mother of God..." He muttered. Yun-Seong nodded, he knew he was talking about the dead body moving.

The creature moaned and snapped its jaws at the man, he twisted his head to the side in anger as his face darkened. The man growled low and quietly, before it became louder when he suddenly threw the moving dead at a wall. It moaned louder as it impacted, it slowly stood and advanced on the man who drew a beautiful red-bladed sword, the hilt was the gray one from its sheath on his back.

Yun-Seong peered around the corridor and watched as well.

The creature moaned louder and louder as it approached the man who stood there unflinchingly, as if a walking corpse moving his way, about to do God only knows what, didn't bother him a bit. The creature screamed, a high pitched scream making both men hold their ears at the intensity. They began to shiver uncontrollably, the feeling of fear rose in them.

They tried to quench it, but the creature screeched again. This time, they had no control over their emotions. They looked around the corner, the man seemed frozen, his eyes squeezed shut. They both turned away from the scene, they couldn't bare to watch. The only thing they could think of was death.

The creature moaned long and loud. Silence followed after that. Suddenly, the sound of a body hit the ground and the ripping of flesh could be heard. The sound of blood splattering around made both men's stomachs churn. Raphael held his mouth at the thought of what was transpiring around the corner. Yun-Seong's eyes were clenched shut and he was covering his ears.

Raphael took a deep breath to calm himself. Slowly and hesitantly, he peered around the corridor. Shock filled his face when he saw the shadows of both figures seemingly struggling against one another before a hand forced itself through one of them. Raphael gasped, the hand was holding what looked like a heart before it was crushed in the grasp of one of the two.

He moved around the corner a little more to see what was going on clearly, he was numbed when he saw the creature at the feet of the man. Its body horribly mangled and torn, its mid section was split wide-open. Raphael raised his gaze to the man and saw him holding what he believed was the creature's spine, but realized it was a rod with a ruby embedded on the top. It was covered in a black liquid.

Raphael looked back down at the corpse to see the black liquid oozing from it slowly. He saw the organs hanging out-side of the body and a stench filled his nostrils so suddenly he began gagging. He hurriedly moved away from the scene to empty his stomach forcefully. Yun-Seong, unsure whether it was wise to see what Raphael had seen, peaked around the corner as well. He saw everything and soon he was right next to Raphael, vomiting uncontrollably.

* * *

Link slew the ReDead, tore its heart out and crushed it in his hands. Its remains lay at his feet, Link began to rip it apart with his sword. He began to cut it at its throat and slowly moved down, separating the flesh from itself as he reached in and pulled the severed chest aside. He tore at the creature's innards in search of the rod he knew it consumed. He found it, though Link was unsure how the ReDead managed to swallow it, he had the rod within his grasp, Link stood back up to inspect it. It was covered in the ReDead's fluids and blood, but Link could wash it and his hands later.

"At long last, I have the weapons I need." Link muttered to himself, he let a dark chuckle escape his throat before the sounds of someone vomiting in his treasury reached his long ears. His head snapped in the direction of the noise.

"Is that...?" He asked himself. He marched out of the back area to see to all too familiar men from his treacherous past letting all they had erupt in a gushing mess from their mouths, brown and red liquid with chunks. Link gagged at the sight.

"Oi! Stop that!" Link called out to the two he knew, he could not recall their names, but he recognized them. He walked forward and stopped a few feet from the two.

The two stopped their onslaught of chunks to turn and look at Link, their mouths were a mess. Link's eyes widened at the sight, something that had been in his stomach for a thousand years began to rise to his throat. He swallowed it, not wanting to make his maids jobs any harder by adding to the puddle.

"Bloody hell, look at this! What a mess- erruegh!" Link started before he accidentally lost control and added to the mess.

Yun-Seong and Raphael shared another look and resumed their gut cleaning.

* * *

Veran watched as Link and the other two men unloaded themselves in the treasury from her cauldron. She laughed the entire time. Only one thought ran through her head as she saw this all unfold.

'_He is going to be maaaaaad!_' She thought and laughed harder.

* * *

Cassandra had sneaked away from the other four to get some fresh air. She had allot on her head now and didn't know where to start. First she stumbles into a portal in the woods of Athens with Sophitia and land in the Dark World in the country called Kingdom where she coincidently met the Black King himself, then she is thrown on an insanely impossible quest to release him, mets a copy of Ivy that serves Link, and is told that if she were to die the king would never be the same again.

The last one really bothered her. She still hadn't figured out that dream, nobody will tell her anything but the king and he specifically said not to call him unless necessary. She was near the point to just summoning him, if only she knew how, ranting to him about all the things building up that need to be answered, telling him to shut up and tell her what is going on and what the dream meant.

She was nearly convinced that was the best solution to this problem when she opened a door and walked in. The room was pitch black and she had a torch. The light from the torch did not do a thing. All she could see was pitch blackness.

She thought about leaving but curiosity sunk its claws in her again. She walked ahead, there was no sound whatsoever of her feet on the floor, now that she thought about it, the floor felt like she was walking on nothing. She leaned down and felt about, and to her horror, there was no floor.

She stood, tense and as hard as rock. Her eyes were nearly out the sockets they were so wide. Her heart was racing unhealthily fast, her mind processed so many thoughts of the possibilities and not one made sense to her. All she did was stand straight. There was no wind, no water, no floor, no ceiling, nothing. As if it was nothing but an endless void of darkness that lacked gravity.

She contemplated proceeding, with no substance to sustain anything, light meant nothing here. She began to hear whispers, the voices of a thousand things spoke at once in volumes too low for her ears to process. She strained to hear what the voices were saying, she felt a need to know, the thought of having more questions did not appeal to the young Athenian.

She took another step forward, as she did so the voices seemed to grow louder. And so she took another step and another. With each step, the voices increased in volume, as if she was nearing their place of origin. She stopped when the voices stopped.

In front of her, she saw an image form. The image of a tall lady with short white hair in a pony-tail. The woman had red eyes and unique armor. Her face was stern and cold, she stood before an altar where a figure of some kind lay. It seemed like a body.

The woman was surrounded by others who shared her clothing style and eye color. They held an emblem in their hands of an eye with a large red drop flowing down. They all had long ears like Link and the generals did.

The woman walked towards the altar and ripped the sheets from the figure, revealing the brutally murdered form of Link. Cassandra gasped to herself quietly. The woman's face remained motionless, yet Cassandra could faintly see a drop run down her cheeks. The woman reached forward and grabbed the bloodied hand of Link's lifeless body. She held it for a moment before letting go.

Another woman with a shawl hiding her face and blond hair with a blue suit with the same symbol of the eye on it handed the other a book. She read from a selected page. The woman nodded, and place the book down.

"Sheik, send for the healers." the first woman commanded to the second with a shawl.

"Yes mistress Impa." Sheik answered and left. The woman now known as Impa continued to gaze at the mangled form of the Hero. A sad look in her eyes.

"...How will I explain this to Zelda...?" Cassandra heard Impa mutter.

"I will bring you back Link...I swear it..." She swore softly. Her voice slightly deep, yet still very feminine.

A group led by Sheik entered the room not long after that. Impa stood and began conversing for awhile, on occasion they would glance at Link. Impa raised her voice at one point at their leader with Sheik standing behind her with a challenging glint in her eye.

Eventually, the leader held his hands up in defeat.

"I warned you of the consequences. That is all I can do, once we start, there is no stopping it. Bring him to Orgon Mountain, we shall await you there." The man said. Impa snapped her fingers and the other figures in the room lifted Link's devastated form gently and left the room.

Cassandra watched as the scene changed; Impa, Sheik, and the healer were standing at the foothills of a large and long mountain range. Link was on an altar of black marble with symbols etched into it. Dark symbols, one happened to be the symbol on the outfits the three wore. A large group of armored and armed people stood nearby in rows of five.

Cassandra watched as the healer drew a symbol on Link's bloodied head. A symbol Cassandra recognized as the mark of the king.

The man began to chant. His voice roaring and almost inhuman, echoing throughout the mountain for miles around.

_Augh, Dragon and Wolf! I invoke thee in the shrine called Life! By the might of viscous Dragons! By the wisdom of wizen Wolves! That which represents thy self! Outside _-his voice echoes it-_ desert of restriction, in act of rebellion on the sea of Evil! Stability of matter! By serenity, strength and courage! By the mighty chant of every breath!_

He paused as the entire group began a lament.

_In warrior's dance of blood-cells! In simplicity of spells! Divine names, meta-games! I greet thy presence!_

Impa began to chant with a chorus from everyone else after the first two parts of the chant.

_Oh Link! Thou art King! Ye I call! With thee I reunite! W__ith blood we make this covenant! Myself I redefine! Look in and above: There is more than the flesh! Look careful and Thou may see! The undiminished power! The nectar of Thy rage! Ye shall taste from the cup of life!_

Impa paused briefly as the Sheikah began to lament again.

_Another life, another death gone! And on the stairway to Shadow! I walk alone among the eternal stars! Looking for company, where art Thou? Oh, heroic one!_

Shadow engulfed the land, dark clouds billowed overhead and the area became so filled with death shivers ran down Impa's spine. Huge energy waves pulsed in the air surrounding Link's body. Lightning coursed the skies and hit Link's body, illuminating his inner form. His skull and skeleton flashed through his flesh each time lightning struck him.

Dark laughs erupted from everywhere at once. Black magic flowed into Link's body, his form twitching and moving, but they were not finished. Impa saw the pain Link was feeling when his grayed eyes opened and locked on her. She almost thought he was trying to tell her something, there was fear in his eyes. A fear that never was there before. This only fueled Impa.

"Don't worry, Link...I won't let you go!" She proclaimed

Ignoring the darkening atmosphere and the sense of dread and doom, Impa continued the chant. Determined to revive Link from the dead. All that he had done for the kingdom of Hyrule would not be in vain if she could help it.

_Arise! My sweetest friend! Or be forever fallen! We have finally arrived, from destiny of this life! To the Dark Kingdom! To stand straight, at the left hand of Link!_

_Mighty Link! be Thou my ally! Join me among the bright hosts! Wondering neither way of light, nor darkness, of which seed sprouts passionately in the summer of our time!_

The chant ended with Link's body roaring to life once again. Everyone was on their knees before him as he became eternal. His voice was much different, it wasn't in the slightest humane. Link jumped up from the altar and roared long and loud. His eyes were red, and his still unhealed form bled profusely. Impa watched the monstrosity before her with confused eyes. Dark power flowed into Link's body uncontrollably. This was not what was supposed to happen.

Impa gasped, the Dark World was corrupting him, she had not prepared for this. What she didn't know was that far away in a void of endless nothingness, a man in black dessert armor laughed manically as he poured his evil will into the resurrected hero.

"_**Errruaaagh!**_ _**Give me**_ _**LIFE!**_" Link roared, his voice that of a dragon. More darkness poured into him and he took it all in. Slowly, his injuries healed and his demonic chuckle resounded throughout the mountains.

Impa knew something had gone terribly wrong. So she did the only thing she could think of.

"Here me, mighty one! I have summoned your soul back from Death, in your honor! I ask for one thing in return for my deeds." Impa called to the glaring form of Darkness. Link did not respond for a while, but he began to smile an uncharacteristic smile, one he never had shown before.

"What does your heart desire, old friend?" Link called back, Impa now firmly knew Link was not himself anymore, he never spoke to her in that way.

"Spare my clan of any carnage, but allow us to serve at your will, as we proclaim you King of the Dark World!" She called back. Link's corrupted face twisted into a malicious grin as he lowered himself to her position, Impa lowered her head in false respect of the possessed hero.

"I accept your request. Build me an Empire worthy of my rule. Rule at my side, for I shall raise an army of the finest soldiers. We shall rule this world side by side." He declared. Impa gritted her teeth but nodded in acceptance as she left his presence to speak with the other Sheikan wise men, Link never would have declared something that showed him as arrogant and power-hungry, he never even would have accepted kingship.

Cassandra watched this all, this was another piece of Link's past. The day the Sheikah tribe revived his soul from the darkest depths of the Nether World. She too saw the fear in Link's eyes. Fear mixed with pain, the fear was not a fear over himself but for something else. It wasn't that Link feared death, judging by his past he denied it as he glared in its face. Cassandra knew in her heart that Link did not fear Death in the slightest, not with all he had gone through.

That fear in his eyes, it was a fear of an idea. An idea that became actuality. Link feared his resurrection would bring great wrong. And he was right, from what Cassandra learned, Link was possessed by the Demon King during his earlier years as King of Darkness. Thus invoking the rule of one who sought to bring all to their knees before him or face oceans of blood and entire worlds reduced to wastelands.

Cassandra had enough. She wanted out of this void. It seemed to show her things she did not want to see, she could not stand seeing evil corrupting its way to the top. For some reason, it made her hate it more when Link was corrupted. Anger arose in her, anger that she did not understand.

She turned around and walked out of the void, not once did she look back. She closed the door that led to the darkest past she had ever seen, and prayed that she would never see anything like it again.

* * *

**A/N:** Aah, that was a good chapter for me, I enjoyed writing it. Didn't know how I pulled it off, but this works for me. Though for some reason with each chapter they keep getting longer and longer... So yes, this is turning into another fiction where Soul Calibur characters run about in the Zelda verse, doing basically what Link had to do only slightly different. I have added new areas as you may have noticed in both fictions 'Tale of Heroes' and this one for the Zelda world. Lots of possibilities for me to explore and exert. Lots of evilness and dark themes and events to choose from. But of course and I would wish it no other way, good always prevails.

My whole point in that is to flesh everything out. A challenge I look forward to doing. This fiction is meant to bring in a darker look at Link's past and his feud with his arch nemesis. If you remember, I mentioned Ganondorf's name twice in the chapter. If you can guess who the Demon King is, you get a cookie. :P

Thats a whole three days I spent on writing as much as I could with spare time. Who doesn't like nice and long chapters? As long as a break is used in-between chapters to allow the ole thinker to recuperate and let inspiration regenerate, things should run smoothly.

The chants I use in this story I get from songs done by bands I will not mention for all to see. I don't feel that telling you exactly where I get these things from is wise, considering what I changed in the last chant. All I'll tell you is that its a death metal band. I used the entire lyrics with modifications in this chapter, some of the lyrics I cut out to suit the occasion; in this case, Link's resurrection. I have another chant I may use later in the story that summons Link and isn't so long like the one in chapter III, which of course has a few things I want to use as well. From the song not the chapter. -shifty eyes-

I deprive inspiration from movies and music, and rarely I am inspired by a game. Before, I couldn't do things properly (That may have not changed yet either.) in stories. I have difficulty wording the characters speech at times. Sometime I just rewrite those 'bad' areas with something better or completely different when I figure it out.

"Zut-alor" Is a French phrase that is clean, but I do not recall its meaning. But it's a French exclamation I find pretty hilarious when ever said properly. Pronounced: "She-Tie-Lo"

The new character "Morgoth" appears later, he's a black (knight) rider, the only one of his class in the entire army, with a rank lower than the high generals and above the typical generals who took Link's place as Black Knight so that Link can be the Black King. But unlike the high generals, his skills with a sword exceeds theirs. Adapt with other weapons, he also possesses skills in magic. Morgoth trained under Link and Impa and acts as a "Spec Op" soldier in the dark army of Kingdom. A direct match to Link, only his orbs (white of your eyes) is blood red and the center is a darker shade of red with his pupils still visible, this is meant to show the magic in his eyes. More detail will be given as I put more scenes in from the Shadow Wars to torment Cassandra with. -evil grin-

Impa and Link share a strong bond, it can be considered a mother and son bond or brother and sister bond, or maybe different and deeper. I haven't decided yet, but any romantic interests in between the two are shallow and nearly non-existent I assure you, that is for 'Of Time and Shadows' my Link/Impa fiction that I've hit a dead end with and am looking for a way out at the moment. Using Black Knight for fictions other than this one is not a fancy for me, I'm debating over rewriting it or just continuing it as it is and not doing another with Black Knight.

Raphael and Yun-Seong were added in on this chapter to balance the number of male and female characters in this story and because I can't help but implement at least some humor in this story, that can be considered their main purpose other than balance. Morgoth is mid-main character, but again he doesn't get his time in the spotlight till some dungeons get crawled and a forest inhabited by undead needs exploring. Plus Ten Commandments asked if any other Soul Calibur characters were being brought in, this chapter confirms my answer. Considering he never returns my messages. ?

The three generals Wolfiah, Dragonia, and Shadowess won't be at Cassandra and Sophitia's side the ENTIRE story. Once the sisters find Impa, depending on the readers choice or what I think if no one bothers with suggesting, they will be either left in or I'll have Link assign them elsewhere. This does not mean they will be permanently removed, they will be brought back in future glimpses into Link's reign in Kingdom and the historic battles they took part in during the Shadow Wars. Either way, they will appear in those scenes.

This chapter was nineteen pages and a half long in OpenOffice. If you don't have this nifty program, Fanfiction has a link to its download on the homepage. It's a very helpful program, easy to use and can be easily adjusted to your liking. Why did that sound like I was just advertising that? xD

Oh, my icon best represents how Link appears in this story. But that does not mean this is a self-insert, bloody impossible for me to do everything Link has done or will do. Yeah, I know, thats very revealing of me. O.o

Sorry about the huge Author's Notes. Please Review.


	7. The Journey Begins

**A/N:** I'm trying to prevent from inputting much more humor in this story, as it's supposed to be a horror story and I'm not sure if I'm keeping to that genre as I should. But other than that, here is where things start kicking up!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

**Soul Calibur II: Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter VII: The Journey Begins**

The black army marched on through the darkness of the kingdom's night. Spear and sword, shattered shields and tattered banners flowed with the motion of the marching soldiers. At the lead of this massive legion of dark Hylian soldiers strode the last of the eight elite command. None spoke about the circumstances, all that could be heard was the loud steps of the smoothly moving force at their back. As generals, they did not have to form the main force as part of the formation and march alongside the troops. That was optional, but they could choose not to. The left-ward slanted spears of the many soldiers only swayed slightly as their bearers kept them held strongly and as straight as they could without the buts of the weapons dragging across the ground.

The commanders of the legions marched at the sides and head of the battle-force, moving in perfect motion as did the other soldiers. The commanders held their tongues too, silently anticipating the coming events. The king ordered the high command to remove all military units from the fortress, and with only three warriors left and the two servants...what would come of the capital? It was neither their place nor in their right to question their higher orders, so on they marched to spend the goddesses only know how long on a mountain nearly overflowing with soldiers already. Adding this many units to them would cluster the mountain more so than already. Sarah, second in command of the high elite made plans to relocate her army to the surrounding mountains on the Seph Summit Range, the sister summits of Angoria. Angoria, the neighboring lands bordering the haunted country of Hemdan, was under the sharp guard of the eleventh and twelfth legions. Personally over seeing the garrison of Angor was the princess of the Sheikah herself, Sheik.

Reporting to the queen's daughter would mean having to disclose the knowledge of the sisters. Sheik being a fierce young warrior and great friend of the king, would likely take to the two with hostility for the past. And attempting to stop her would be suicidal, even if the events long ago were out of the sister's hands.

The remaining five of high command knew to not stand in the way of a furious Sheikah. But they will have no choice if it comes to it. Every soldier and officer of the Empire's armies would die to ensure the will of the king is done. Even if it means igniting a civil war within the kingdom itself.

The surrounding mountain side was bare and seemingly encased in white ice. The natural layout of the range was most known for it's albino look. Although Angor mountain was indeed a large mountain, it did not snow there. Be it the will of the Shadow World's corruption, or the mystical powers of unknown origins that has housed itself in the Hylian world's lands since the beginning, no one knew. Dead trees littered the trail and around on the slopes of Angor, adding to the already ominous surroundings of the realm. The chilling winds played about with the banners carried by the few standard-bearers. Ahead, the black gates of Angoria stood, tall and thickly to prevent any trespassing into Kingdom. On the battlements of the fortress, much smaller than the capital, Archer's stood at attention, bows at hand and ready to unleash a rain of death on any unauthorized visitors.

General Valiana, the wise, squinted her gray eyes at these soldiers. The armor they bore was somewhat different than the standards of the eleventh and twelfth legions. The banners were mixed with the standard of King Link's and another. The unidentified banners bore the simple black flags of the legions, but the standard was of a red wolf head howling to the darkened moon that glimmered in the night itself. Below the wolf head and shadowy moon was a red horse rearing back on it's hind legs.

"That is Morgoth's standard..." Valiana whispered to herself. As they approached and the archer's on patrol took aim but did not fire, the wise general took note that these soldiers were solid and not transparent like she and her forces were. Sarah raised her fisted hand and her massive force halted and stomped once. She and her kin stepped forward, with one of the standard-bearers who waved the flag of elite high general Wolfiah, the mighty.

"General's of high command, state your purpose on Angor!" The gruff voice of a brunette general, an unusual hair color of the general rank, bearing the unique armor of Morgoth's forces demanded from the battlements as protocol procedure of the army to demand reason when not informed before hand of troop movements.

The armor the general bore was shaped much the same as the other soldiers, another unusual feat among the commonly armor-less generals, but held golden symbols forged into the many curves. Some looped around in shapes indicating shadow, others formed a wolf's head as appropriate of Morgoth's standard. On the leg, hips, and arm-guards the designs formed wings of a dragon, among her hand armor were golden claw shapes, encircling her fingers. The general's back-side armor bore a full portrait of a dragon floating above a wolf that seemed ready to pounce its prey. The high command could faintly make-out a tattoo on this unnamed warrior's neck, it curved from her forehead down across her jawline, and disappeared under her armor. It was shaped like a jaw of fangs. The finely designed sword on the general's back seemed to have serpent like shapes, that of a snake-like dragon that encircled the hand-guard. The blade appeared slightly wider, yet thinned a bit around the middle to give a unique shape. A blue gem, likely an enchanted sapphire, was embedded in the counter weight of the hilt, bearing a shape within that resembled a dragon's eye.

Sarah took another step forward and shouted her reply.

"Soldier's of the Black Rider, why have you left your post in Shadow's Eve?" She retorted. The general on the battlements of Angor fort stood aside and bowed her head to a shadowy figure who walked calmly up to the edge.

"I requested a fraction of the Rider's forces to ensure security on this vulnerable out-post. The ghostly garrison previously placed here would not hold off a fully-fledged raid from the enemy." The figure explained. The five generals at the head of the ghostly army recognized the voice. They bowed their heads in acknowledgment of the higher authority before them.

"Princess Sheik. We have been sent by the king as per his will to remove ourselves from his presence. He has ordered the fortress of Fan'Gorn evacuated of all military personal to ensure a coming victory in his plans to free himself. We were ordered to report here and remain as an enforcement due to circumstances demanding our leave." Sarah reported. Sheik pulled her hood back and lowered her shawl, revealing her beauty to all, a rare action for her to take. She understood from the voice of Sarah that something was happening in Fan'Gorn, capital of the Empire.

"What circumstances would require you to abandon our king?" Sheik asked, sounding angry that Link had revoked the little protection he had. Although no demon could harm him, the enemy could corrupt him again in his current state. And dealing with the evil king's iron fist through the merciful former hero would be the end of the Sheikan tribes and other's who oppose the enemy. They all knew that if the king of Evil could seep his treacherous claws into Link again, he would use him to destroy everything in his path.

"Forgive me, my lady, but it's best if we spoke in private." Sarah muttered loud enough for Sheik to hear.

* * *

Link rose from his bent-over position, growling as he slowly stood straight. He wiped his lips of the rather old digestion he had let loose, not having any control over his previous actions. He snapped his eyes open to see the two men still bent over and supporting themselves on their knees, breathing heavily. Link reached back and pulled his fire sword from its sheath and held it at the two in warning.

"You two. Stand." Link commanded darkly. They looked up and noticed the red-bladed elemental sword being held at their throats. Briefly, they glanced at their own swords, but before they could reach for them, they were suddenly whisked away and began to float around the black-armored man in front of them. Raphael's eyes widened as Yun-Seong seemed to boil with rage.

"Hey! That's my sword! Give it back!" The young Korean shouted.

"Be still." Link muttered back. he glared at them for awhile, his eyes traveled to the swords floating around him endlessly and slowly. His gaze showed nothing but stern and cold calculation as his eyes roamed over the design and build of the blades.

"...I recognize you two. However, your names have eluded my memory. What are you both called?" Link demanded. Raphael kept his weary eye on Link's sword and Flambert as Yun-Seong seemed to have reverted to being silent. Seeing that Yun-Seong's attitude could get them both in trouble with this mysterious knight, and the fact their form of defense and offense were removed from options, Raphael concluded it was best to answer questions and kill the man later.

"I am Raphael Sorel, a nobleman from France. This is Yun-Seong of the Seong Dojo from Korea. We don't know how we got here, and we want no trouble." Raphael answered calmly, grabbing Yun-Seong's shirt and pulling the Korean fighter up next to him.

"If he kills me, I'm taking you down too...!" Raphael muttered to Yun-Seong silently, who only scoffed. Link, having heard this, lowered his sword and returned the other weapons to their respectful masters.

"I'm not going to kill you, so cease this bickering and listen closely. I already know how you came here, why I don't really care. Two of your friends, however, were somehow brought here by means beyond my knowledge. Cassandra and Sophitia Alexandra of Athens." Link explained gruffly. At the names, both men gasped.

"What did you do to them?" Yun-Seong demanded, holding White Lightning in front of him. Link smiled slightly at his threat.

"Put it away, boy. I'm through playing those games with you." Link responded in his deep and cold tone, not moving from his spot. Yun-Seong blinked.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, altering his question. Link sighed, forgetting that these were indeed the reincarnations of his past allies, only they lacked their last life's memories.

"I forgot, you don't remember me, do you?" Link asked, looking to Raphael to respond. The French man's eyebrows furrowed as he put more thought on Link's face.

"I have no clear image of who you are, mysterious knight...But I do remember seeing your face elsewhere other than that portrait." Raphael answered. Link nodded, sheathing his fire sword.

"First of all, you are no longer in your world. You both were accidentally summoned to a realm of eternal darkness, the alternative existence to a realm filled with light. My spell-caster had a miss fire in one of her spells and opened a portal that teleported you both here. You are now in the Dark World formally known as the Sacred Realm, in the land called Kingdom, within the treasury of the Black Palace, the palace and throne of the Dark One." Link explained, keeping all seriousness in his eyes and voice. Raphael's jaw dropped at the news and Yun-Seong's eyes nearly exploded from their sockets.

"...You dare to tell us the long lost legend of the Black Knight is true?" Raphael hissed quietly. Link nodded, he hissed under his breath and the room became filled with much more light. Link then pointed to the blue symbol embedded on the chest of his breast plate, the emblem of the Black Knight. A nearly in-audible growl came from the emblem, as the two humans took notice they watched as an eerie blue glow shown forth in the eyes of the wolf head on the emblem, shining until it was solid and the eyes glowing with the light of shadow. Raphael simply couldn't believe it, he almost refused to believe it. Yun-Seong was just as surprised as the nobleman.

"...Who are you?" Raphael asked in whisper. Link's demonic chuckle resounded in the treasury at his question, the pitch of his voice was unsettling for the two.

"I am...the dragon and wolf. I am the creator of the Dark Army. I am the master of the blade of evil's bane. The ruler of shadow walkers, the lord of the night...I am the one who walked those vague and mysterious legends."

* * *

Sophitia walked about, searching for her younger sister, Cassandra. She had been gone for well over twenty minutes, and her absence was beginning to worry Sophitia. She gazed out at the many doors of the hallway she had entered, remembering what general Dragonia said, warning her to repent from entering the hallways. But she didn't care if she encountered one of those 'Darknuts', she had to find her sister. She only hoped to avoid another encounter with those flesh-eating undead creatures.

Sophitia silently slipped around a corner and checked the hallway for any immediate threats. She could not see, it was pitch black and this only made it worse for her. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but the darkness of this fortress held things that would rip her to shreds should she make a single mistake or venture too far. She sent a silent prayer to Hephaestus for safe passage.

Hesitantly, Sophitia crept down the hallway slowly as she could stand to move. It was all silent, not a sound could be heard in the thick shadow of the path. Her boots felt about on the black marble of the fortress' floor gently, hoping she did not alert the lurkers in the dark of her presence, if there were any here to begin with.

For some reason, fear, whether an instinct of something evil or foul close by, suddenly gripped Sophitia's throat tightly, her breath became shaky, her hands quivered on the grip of her sword and shield. A most foul stench suddenly pervaded her nostrils, an all too familiar stench she had smelled well over four hours before.

Her eyes widened when the sound of a bare foot stepped over the marble floor, just next to the young Athenian mother. The smell of blood and a rotting corpse was too close for comfort. Sophitia pushed herself against the wall and lowered herself quietly to the floor. She held her shield in front of her out of instinct, trying to remember all that Wolfiah had taught her two hours before hand.

She could faintly make out the figure of a humanoid in front of her. She held her sword at the ready, just in-case the creature came too close. She felt the vibration of another footstep in front of her and the silhouette grow larger.

Her mind reverted to thoughts of her children, what would become of them should she die here in this long forsaken fortress, the possibilities of her soul being set free or if she would be forced to consume flesh and meat until she was slain at the hand of another. If she would be left behind, all alone in the darkness. If she would be lost for eternity. If she should die, would she join in Link's fate of eternal misery alongside him or her body kept alive to serve as one of the ill-est of nightmares from the deepest, darkest pits of hell itself.

The sting of tears and the wetting of her cheeks caressed Sophitia's nerves as she gazed at the hidden being before her, the thing she knew must be a ReDead, the one creature she had hoped to never again encounter for the rest of her life. She could hear a silent moan that matched all the creatures of that evil sound before her, frightfully close. The smell of death blowing in whisper. A scent so revolting, she feared her skin would melt soon from the disgusting fumes.

Fear forced her lungs to remain still, her heart practically dropped and refused to beat, for fear of the creature hearing either. The creature's head came closer, as if to taunt Sophitia further.

'_Is it even possible for someone to have this much fear of such a creature from the purest of nightmares...?_' She thought through the images of her gruesome death at the hands of this thing before her. Her mind was processing all possibilities, the outcomes of every mistake and what could happen if she made the right choice.

As slowly as she could without alerting the creature, she pulled her sword back, ready to skew it through its head. It didn't seem to have sighted her yet, but she would take no chances. She only hoped that there wasn't any more in this pitch-dark hall. As silently as she could, she inhaled some air, allowing the stench of the creature to give her a reason to move, for her body had become too stiff to allow movement.

Not waisting another second, Sophitia thrust her sword forward. The shining blade pierced the skull of the unholy creature before her.

Immediately, the ReDead lost momentum, its black blood oozed all over Sophitia's hands, making her grimace at the thick and slimy liquid. The beast collapsed on top of her, causing her to yelp in surprise as she still could not see. At least she hit it, the Athenian had to guess, using her senses to target the undead's head.

Pushing the now fully-dead corpse off her, Sophitia pulled the sword of Hephaestus free from the body. "Eww..." she groaned in disgust as she tried to shake the demon's blood from her hands and arms. Some of it had trickled down on her skirt, the wetness of it all made her shudder. The castle was quite drafty as it was, now it was uncomfortably cold.

And then it happened.

Before Sophitia could detect them, several hands viciously grabbed her in the dark, tearing her clothing and pulling at her hair. She screamed out of instinct and surprise. The familiar smell of rotting flesh consumed her nostrils and the hungry moans of ReDeads resounded all around her.

She struggled against the minion's grasp, adrenaline shutting all her fears out and giving her an added boost in strength.

...But it would not be enough for her.

Several jaws lined with rotten teeth mercilessly pierced her skin in several spots throughout her body. One ReDead had bitten her in her right leg, half-way up past her knee. Another had penetrated her tunic and had locked on her left side, just next to her spleen. Another mouth had hungrily munched on her right shoulder. The last ReDead had bitten her skull at the top, attempting to get at her brain.

Sophitia now screamed in pain and terror. More so in pain, the pressure the demons had used was bone breaking, her muscles were giving in under the weight of their jaws and the venom of the ReDeads caused her to loose strength. The hands of the creatures tore madly at her skin, occasionally ripping some from her, pulling hard in an attempt to completely immobilize her for an easy feast.

Things were not looking hopeful for Sophitia, she knew this. '..._Rothion, Cassandra, Phyrra, Patroklos...I'm sorry._' She thought in despair as tears rain freely down her cheeks, she knew she could not survive this by herself.

It would take a miracle for her to escape now.

* * *

As Link watched the two before him drop their jaws on the floor, a sudden vibe shocked him to his core. His eyes widened as he felt terrible pain course his neck, arms and shoulders. An image appeared in his eyes, an image he did not desire to see. The eldest sister was being attacked by a handful of ReDead. The babble had already overpowered her and were trying to consume her.

Roaring in rage, the king grabbed Raphael and Yun-Seong by the scruffs of their neck and released a powerful teleport spell, one that caused an explosion fueled by the king's fury as he teleported. Raphael and Yun-Seong had no idea what was going on, it all happened so fast they had no time to act on whatever was happening.

* * *

Dragonia and Wolfiah were discussing things to themselves, planning out their next move, when they noticed the two sisters were missing.

"Din, tell me we did not just let them wonder off alone in this infested fortress...?" Wolfiah muttered. Dragonia was looking about, asking Shadowess if she had seen the two mortals but receiving a negative answer.

"Master will kill us!" Dragonia shouted in panic as she and the other two began searching. A moment after they had left, a vibe struck them hard and strong. The pain that coursed their transparent forms, the image of dead-walkers all with their hands and teeth on the older sister.

"Sophitia!" Wolfiah shouted as she doubled her speed with the other two in tow, desperately hoping they could reach her in time.

* * *

Sophitia, feeling weaker and weaker as the seconds past, could only lie there, unmoving, and barely breathing. The pain was ceasing, despite the still evident teeth in here. A puddle of blood had surrounded her, the wounds she sustained were large and deep. She felt sure that she would not survive.

She had already tried to call for aid, but her voice was greatly quiet. The pain was so much she couldn't even cry out. Her sword and shield which had been removed rather harshly from her hands lay too far from where she was. The chances of her reaching them with what she assumed were six undead lying or sitting on her were none, she couldn't move or throw off this much weight.

As whatever little life in her was close to draining, and her hearing having finally given out as she could no longer hear the moaning, and slurping of the ReDeads, a flash of blue emitted nearby. As dazed as she was, she couldn't move her head in the direction to see exactly what had caused it. Not that she cared anymore, being moments from death.

Then she heard it. A loud, booming voice resounding over the silence that had engulfed her. Sophitia's name was called, she could hear that much, but the source of the voice was a mystery. Under toning the voice was a very angry feeling, one of purest rage and malice, calling out her name. It made her worry, had something worse come to have its fun with her? Has death sent something far worse than a rabble of ReDead to torture and slew her on the floor of this great castle overrun by demons?

"_**Sophitia!**_" The man, as she realized the voice belonged to, shouted again.

Link slammed forward into the ReDeads holding Sophitia down. Each spiked punch he threw sent one flying back. The power of darkness fueled by his anger had given him an emergency surplus of strength. The undead, picking themselves off the floor took notice of the intrusion, screaming their howls of hunger as they lurched forward to the black king.

Link, squeezed his fists tighter, causing another row of sharp blades to erupt from his lower arm armor, giving him a fighting style similar to the wind priestess, Talim. Though, he did not use her style exactly, he was holding his arms up as she would her twin blades.

Swinging massive and bone-crushingly powerful blows about, each one connecting with the foolish demons that had dared to target Sophitia, in _his_ castle, while _he_ was awake, and ripping them to shreds with the small spikes. He slammed his right shoulder into another one that had dodged his swings, impaling it on his spiked shoulder.

Grabbing one ReDead, the taller king twisted its arm about, almost forcing the ReDead to follow suit, and pushed down on its chest, crushing and shattering its spine. To finish it off, he shot his merciless boot down hard on the creatures' head, earning a satisfying, yet sickening for the two spectators, crunch.

Sophitia, still as immobile as before without the weight on top of her, still had no strength to turn her head.

Link, having noticed the ravaged form of the Athenian, drew the blue hilted sword from his back, hissing and growling as its holy light shined forth and illuminated the room. The ReDeads were not fazed, they were hungry and were not giving into the enemy so easily this time. Screeching loudly, they rushed the king, sending him back to the ground in surprise.

The thick armor he bore protected Link from being bitten or scratched, but he didn't honestly care if he was. All he saw, was red.

Releasing an energy pulse, he stood up as the ReDeads were knocked back. Now it was his turn. Taking the Master Sword in his hand, he lunged at the first, slicing it down the middle. His next victim was worse off. He turned to his right, grabbing said ReDead and chopped the right hand off. The creature shied back, moaning painfully as the dark lord approached faster than it could retreat. His holy sword cut viciously into the demon's gut in a horizontal slice, spilling its guts on the floor.

As an added measure, the blade was thrusted upwards to the hilt in the swine's head, an instant kill shot. The gurgling in the room could have had Raphael and Yun-Seong vomiting again, especially with the smell that was presenting itself with each kill.

Turning a burning gaze to the remaining undead, Link raised his right hand after kicking the corpse from his blade. A red light spawned in his palm, and the temperature suddenly rose as he powered up the energy in his hand. The light took a form of fire, round yet thrashing out at the surrounding. It got big enough for the king to shoot once and engulf the predatory creatures in one shot. Releasing it, the fire-like particle moved at an incredible speed, slapping hard and wrapping firmly around the ReDeads.

Their bodies ignited in flames. Their screams were music to the king's ears as he had his own little sinister moment of vengeance. Slowly, the ReDead burned, collapsing to the ground until their forms were not but blackened ash. Link did not grin evilly, he did not let his demonic laugh resound, he did not smile in satisfaction. His gaze turned to the injured and near-dead sister on the floor.

Dropping to his knees, he placed the sword in his sheath on his back and scooped the badly injured woman into his arms, earning small eeps of pain from her, to which he only gave a small apologetic look in his eyes when hers met his.

"Sophitia...Why? Why did you venture away?" He found himself asking, not expecting an answer.

* * *

Cassandra was watching every move she made as she navigated the halls. She felt lost in this massive fortress. It was more like an underground city than a fort. A fort of grand design complete with a throne room that she had only heard of and a great hall for dining. Within said hall was a single ReDead standing in the far corner that she nearly didn't notice, that would have been bad for her in several ways that she could think of. She didn't advance into the room, not wanting to risk an encounter with the...thing. She just gazed around quickly, using her photographic memory to store the grand hall in her head for when she was bored later and as silently as she could, closed the door to leave the creature to its dealings.

The hallways had no signs to which she could read for a direction to the center basement. Earlier she had ventured upstairs out of curiosity when she spotted a small light with what she assumed was wings. It had a yellow glow, and didn't seem to notice her. She did not call out to the creature she saw, which she guaranteed was small enough to fit in her hand, for fear of being heard by a hostile entity.

She had since lost sight of the little creature. Deciding she had enough of risking her flesh and bones to see the castle of the king, she was now focused on finding her way down to the basements, and back to her sister who was no doubt looking for her now. But she could not find an entry. It was as if the door and stairs leading below were hidden from all those above.

'_Where are the damn stairs?_' She found herself asking in thought, more than a little annoyed.

She treaded softly on the thick and lush carpet beneath her. Watching every corner for any signs of demonic presences. Several paintings that hung on the wall held her attention for a split second or two. One of the woman she knew as Impa and Sheik from her previous vision within the strange room. Another of a beautiful woman who resembled the king in appearance, only more lady-like. She had the appearance of an angel, wearing a golden crest and a pink dress. At the bottom of the frame, it read "Queen Zelda Nohansen Hyrule, Queen of Hylia". Aside the queen was Link himself, although, he looked allot less in this portrait than he does now. Cassandra thought he looked cuter here when he was younger.

A blush answered that thought. Why did she find him so attractive? It must have been for the same reason as herself, back in Athens men would slaughter themselves just for her. It was rather flattering, but scary at the same time.

Shaking it free, she glanced at another, a large man with a white beard and white hair, surrounded by a red royal drape and sitting on a golden throne. Aside this man was Zelda and Link. This one read "Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, King of Hylia". This piece was older than Queen Zelda's portrait, so that must have meant that Zelda was the daughter of Daphnes, making her the princess and heir to the throne, but what of Link? What was his connection to these people?

"Who are these people?" Cassandra asked aloud quietly.

* * *

"He ordered the legions in the fortress to Angor so that the women would not be hesitant and weary of the army. Wolfiah, Dragonia, and Shadowess were commanded to guard and guide the two out of the castle. As we made preparation to move out, the king revealed that the two who had infiltrated his lair would be his chosen." Titania spoke. The five generals, Morgoth's second-in-command; a brunette general, and Sheik stood in a war room. The five explained the events that had transpired within the fortress of the king some seven hours ago.

Sheik lowered her head in thought as she sat in her chair. She had not moved since they arrived in the war room, absorbing the tale as a sponge would water. The general of Morgoth's forces placed a hand on Sheik's shoulder and whispered silently in her ear, low enough so that the five elite could not hear her. It was probably best, considering that they would shoot envious glances at her for not being affected by the Evil King's spell. Sheik nodded, and with a wave of her hand, the brunette left quietly, despite the rattle of her armor.

The Sheikan princess stood, facing the others with a somber expression.

"I will send a messenger to my mother, the queen to inform her of the events that have unfolded. Then, I will go and search for these...chosen." Sheik spoke, sounding as if she hated the fact that the sister's bore the status as chosen by the king, providing them the highest of protection within the Empire. One with that status meant that not even queen Impa had the right to lay a finger on them.

"But-" Leiana, the timid, attempted to speak before being silenced by Sheik's raised hand.

"No, I wont attack them. I am not rage-blind enough to forget the laws of my people..." Sheik assured before leaving through the black oak doors of the war room. The generals left the war room to tend to their troops when they noticed a small, white glowing creature small enough to fit in their hands with delicate wings settle itself on the princess' right shoulder.

"It's a fairy spirit. Likely the princess' guardian, as custom of the Sheikah; she must follow a fairy's guidance until she is of age to part with it." Valiana spoke at the rear of the other four.

"...When is she considered of age?" Ehtias asked in whisper.

"Once she turns nineteen within a year, she will be ready to depart the Sheikah City without her." Valiana answered.

* * *

The three generals were rounding the corner, ready to charge and do whatever they could to save Sophitia's life. But it was too late.

Standing before them, in all his rage-filled glory was the king. And his face marked that he was far from approachable. Shadowess pointed at the other two, in the hopes to save herself. Dragonia was too busy having trouble breathing to notice. Wolfiah however was ignoring her master, eyes the two strangers, and began to examine Sophitia's wounds.

Link however stopped her before she could come closer.

"I have already done a check. You three, however, have done enough." He stated a little harshly. Wolfiah lowered her head and backed away at his words. Yep, he was angry. Link was busy striping down curtains on the walls and tearing them into smaller pieces to use as bandages. That was when the three generals had spontaneously shown up.

Sophitia was bleeding badly, Link estimated she had little time to live with all the loss of blood, she would not survive much longer. And the last, absolutely last thing he needed was to be carrying a dead sister to show-case to the younger Athenian, watch her break-down and then get bitten by the dead Athenian.

He did _not_ want that.

Standing after he binded all her wounds as best as he could without causing much harm to her, he turned and faced the other two males who watched all silently. The tension was thick, no one knew any, and trust was the last thing they would show to each other.

"Follow me. Try to keep up." He ordered as he turned and bolted down the hallway.

The generals surrounded Link's sides, weapons drawn and ready to beat back anything that emerged from the hallways. Raphael and Yun-Seong had no trouble keeping up with the dark lord as he ran. He used a combo of speed and agility, trying not to run too fast and bring Sophitia any further pain.

He had been in this position before, and he knew how bad it hurt to be bitten by the undead. They gave off an image of utter weakness, luring their prey in. But when someone got too close...they were quick to learn two things. One, they are incredible fools for getting to close and not taking caution. Two, that the ReDeads are not as weak as they make themselves out to be. Their grip was stronger than any man's. Their bite was worse than their bark. _Far_ worse.

Had it not been for Impa's caring hands, he wouldn't be here. He may as well have been lurking in the shadows of the Shadow Temple for eternity in a time that never existed.

Sophitia was trying to stay awake, but it was difficult. Her body was cold, and her wounds were turning a horrid purple color. Her nostril's no longer burned from the disgusting scent of the ReDeads, but her head was in circles, her stomach was in knots and she was ready to just fall asleep. Link listened as she began whispering Cassandra's name, and then naming a few others who Link could not remember. The names, Patroklos, Phyrra, and a Rothion rung a bell, but a mysterious mist, perhaps due to the curse, shadowed his memory.

"Hang on, Sophitia..." Link whispered to her silently as he ran. Surprisingly, she heard him. Through all the silence, she heard his voice.

What she didn't hear however, was the sudden sound of blade cutting air.

"Auh!" And Link was flying through the air. A sword had just struck his chest, missing Sophitia by inches. The force behind the swing was enough to penetrate Link's armor. Already, Sophitia could feel the warmth of his blood on her back. As Link came down for the landing, he rolled to land on his back, cushioning the fall.

The three generals watched in shock as their lord was struck and lost balance. Turning their heated glares to the shadows, a Darknut bearing a commander's helm marched out, sword raised and buckler shield ready.

Immediately the three attacked, looking to break the armored knight's outer defense. But their weapons were little affect to a solid being. Raphael could already see which was friend and which was foe, and so he picked up Flambert and moved in to try his luck with the demon. His sharp eyes caught the sign of the beast rearing back for a strike of a horizontal property. Instincts kicked him to gear and he ducked quickly, feeling the wind which was strong enough to send lighter objects into the air, pass by and rustle his blond hair.

The enormous weight of the swing with the recovery time needed for such a large and heavy sword, added the weight of the bulky armor left the Darknut wide open for attack. Yun-Seong, seeing his opportunity to offer his two cents, rushed in, grabbed White Lightning and struck several areas where the knight's armor did not protect.

Dragonia reacted by tackling the massive creature, throwing it off guard and allowing Raphael and Yun-Seong to finish it off quickly.

Link struggled to get up, the gash in his chest was big and the armor plus Sophitia's near dead weight wasn't helping. He finally pulled himself up, holding up Sophitia regardless of himself. Reaching into his armor, he pulled out the bag with potions Yvi had given him earlier on and fiddled about for a healing potion.

Finding a red one, he popped the cork and tipped Sophitia's head slightly. Slowly, he let her drink as much as he could shove down her throat. She coughed as she drank the soothing liquid, healing her pain and bringing the blood from thin air back into her veins. She eased in his grip. With the few drops left in the bottle, Link took it and healed himself. Though he fed Sophitia nearly an entire bottle of red potion, she was not safe or fully healed. The venom in her would gradually try its hardest to reopen her wounds and convert her to a ReDead. Link must hurry.

"Quickly!" He shouted and the run continued with an injured Darknut slowly getting up. Raphael nodded and grabbed Yun-Seong who was busy stabbing the Darknut's weak-point, causing the creature to explode into the shadowy mists as soon as he touched it, and bolted after the king.

"What is going on?" Yun-Seong called from behind Raphael. It was so dark he couldn't see that it was Sophitia in the king's arms. Raphael did not answer as he dragged the younger man on through, following the glow of the king's armor.

As they ran, Link stopped suddenly and kicked a door open, setting Sophitia down and drawing his sword. Several ReDeads were staring at him, and he glared back at the death stares. Growling as he sat protectively over the Athenian.

"Be, _**gone**_!" He commanded, thrusting the blade's tip into the floor and sending a fiery wave of fire their way. The flames struck the demons hard, their rotting flesh ignited easily, thus why they avoided flame. The creatures screamed and moaned as they flailed their arms in an attempt to extinguish the fire. But to no avail, they dropped to their knees and fell to the sides, dead.

"Drag them out side and close the door!" Link commanded. The generals immediately sprung to action by dragging the still burning ReDead corpses out the door of the dark room and into the hallway. They extinguished the flames to prevent the entire fortress from being burned in-case it caught fire, and ensured the undead were in fact dead by having Raphael and Yun-Seong drive their swords up to the hilts in the hearts of the ReDeads.

Finishing this, the two men closed the doors, but did not lock it.

"Where are we, your highness?" Raphael piped up as politely as he could from behind as Link was busy placing Sophitia's now resting form on a nearby table that they could not see. He didn't bother looking up as he continued to lay out Sophitia's sleeping form and checking her injuries again. He removed his cape and draped it over her, seeing as some areas of her attire were ripped asunder and showed more than was proper.

Link turned around, cape-less and obviously more than a little grumpy. "We are in the castle's library, it should be safe for you all here." He answered after awhile. "Where is the other? Where is Cassandra?" He asked stiffly of the three ghostly women of his army. They looked from one to the other and didn't reply.

The king shook, the rage practically overflowing from him like a pot of water on a fire.

"_**Then find her, dammit!**_" He roared loudly as his remaining power sparked about his furious form dangerously.

* * *

Cassandra eased her head around a corridor, gazing cautiously as she planned her next steps. She watched closely, waiting for any signs of movement in the darkness. The dimness of the hall hindered her sight greatly, the tattered banners of kingdoms under the Empire's law flowed gently as the ever so slight wind from the mountain made its way in through the vents. The black marble stone of the walls gave off some shine from whatever light hit it, the thick, deeply blue carpet did not seem as though it was walked on for a long time now.

This meant nothing. Cassandra would take no risks, not after what she had fought through so far earlier, nearly loosing her life had it not been for the king's intervention.

Swallowing hard in nervousness of the uncertain path that lay before her, Cassandra eased about and walked slowly and cautiously on the dark carpet. She passed by the banners that swayed, passing a curious hand across the battle-worn fabric, feeling its rough thickness rub her fingers as they passed over the holes in the flags. She wondered what kingdoms bore these signs, where they must have been and how they came to be apart of the Shadow kingdom. So many questions with no answers, fueled by curiosity filled her mind as she occupied herself.

Reaching the end of the hallway, and relieved that she found noting to fight in the previous corridor, Cassandra turned left to the next hall. As she reached halfway down this passage, she smelt something afire. It was a stench of flesh aflame. It was sickening.

Squinting her eyes in confusion and caution, Cassandra picked up her speed to a quicker walk as she maneuvered about some fallen statues of the king and honorary statues of soldiers within the Empire. As she rounded one last chunk of marble, she found the burned remains of ReDeads.

Her ears picked up the sound of voices coming from behind a door to her left.

"_**Then find her, dammit!**_" the voice was clearly that of the king's. The intensity of his anger shook her.

Something was wrong. Burned ReDead, Link furious, it added up.

Opening the door, Cassandra strode in, receiving surprised glances from the generals. But there were two men in particular that caught her eye. Raphael Sorel of the Sorel family and Yun-Seong of the Seong dojo stood before her on one end of the room with their weapons close at hand.

"Cassandra!" Raphael called in recognition. Yun-Seong watched in stunned silence, apparently the elf knight was telling the truth.

"Raphael, Yun? How did you guys get here?" Cassandra asked, not noticing Link's boiling form.

"I have a better question; _**why not ask why your sister is dieing in my hands?**_" Link's voice roared at her. At his words, Cassandra's heart dropped.

"_What?_" She shouted in shock. Link moved to one side, revealing Sophitia's form. She rested on a table, her head in Link's hands as he offered as a pillow of sorts for her comfort. Her form was hidden under a black cloth, Link's cape.

Immediately dropping her weapons, Cassandra was at her sisters side, looking her over and asking questions of everything she could think of at the time.

"Wha, I mean, how, why-?" She sputtered, too numbed to produce a coherent sentence. Link ignored her as he used his free hand to draw strange symbols on Sophitia's head, using some magic to create ink from his fingertips. The Athenian sister was still awake, barely conscious but awake still. She did not move her head, Link made sure he wrote softly for her, she passed her glazing eyes to her younger sister, whispering her name in relief.

"The venom is forcing her body into a paralysis so that it could move more freely in her system. Extracting it isn't going to be easy..." Link explained, too focused on the symbolic ritual drawings to shout. He raised his eyes to lock on with Cassandra's as he added, "And you had _**better**_ have a good reason for straying off from the group..." He warned venomously.

"...I-I...I- can't...breathe..." Sophitia forced out. Link's eyes widened. Placing his hand over her chest, he pressed. A white and dim glow hummed from his hands to her chest, allowing her to breathe easily again.

"Not good." He concluded. "the venom is affecting her lungs as well, trying to kill her faster. Shadowess! Bring me the Book of Mudora! It's on the other end of the library, in the 'Legends and Ancients' section!" Link instructed quickly.

Stumbling from her sitting position, the third general bolted to the other end of the massive library in search of the requested book. She zipped around towering stands and shelves in an effort to pinpoint the section of the library where the legendary and rather ancient book was kept.

* * *

Having completed drawing the ritual symbols on Sophitia's hands and face, Link waited for Shadowess to bring him the book. At last, Shadowess appeared at his side, already having found the proper page and pointed it out to the king.

Reading on, Link towered over the fallen sister as he gathered his life-force. Looking to his three generals, Link gestured for them to gather around Sophitia's form. Nodding, the three sat down in a circle around the King and the Athenian. They closed their eyes and crossed their hands to form a triangle as they relaxed their bodies.

"Zooooooom...zoooooommm...zooooommm..." They hummed silently. Their voices gave a chill to the three other members of the group as their voices passed in-between and through them. Link laid the book down on Sophitia's chest, opened on a portrait of a figure that almost looked identical to Link himself.

"Hze Ga! Shalasan orgas dee! (Ancient Ones! Hear my cry!)" Link suddenly blasted out in an ancient language. His voice echoed out as he called loudly.

"Dark god, Oni, here me the one descendant of legends long passed. I pray this favor be heard, the life of this mortal spared. I offer my life for hers! Give her the strength and will to repel the Undead! Ancient father of the hero line, great deity of Termina, lord of firmament and Ether! Upon and above! By the power of Din, Nayru, and Farore! Bless her with the light of life!" Link called, his dark voice returning and echoing throughout the room.

For awhile, all that could be heard was the general's humming, and Yun-Seong was tempted to demand they stop it.

Suddenly, an other worldly laugh, dark and sinister filled with cold cruelty resounded almost in whisper from above. Masculine in pitch, deeper than Link's, far more menacing than Soul Edge's voice that haunted humanity's dreams for so long.

"_The deeds of your life deny me reason to decline this request, o chosen one of divine three. I shall provide this mortal the means and will to survive...in return, you must give her the strength to use it. Beware; for this comes at a great price. The dead will rise again should you summon her and open the gates of the damned..._" The voice echoed from everywhere in warning.

Link, ignoring the warning, sat by Sophitia's form. He bent low, whispering in her ears a chant that eased her body until she moved no more.

"**Reya! Reya! Reyaa! Re, hona uraah- Reya! Rya lugees shanan-uraah! Make the dead, RISE!**" He suddenly shouted louder than before, without distancing himself from Sophitia's dead ears.

Link glowed darkly as he chanted, he struggled to stand straight as he fed his energy to Sophitia's form, willing her back to life from the realm of the Damned. The blue glow sparkled into electrical tendrils throughout him as he continued to falter. In his mind, he fought to open the gates of the dead, calling on Sophitia's soul to return to him. From the darkness, a glowing angel floated closer, the large, heavenly wings folded themselves and seemingly shrunk as the angel approached.

"...where...where am I...?" the angel spoke.

"You are in...the realm of the dead. Hurry...I can't hold the gates open much...longer." Link struggled out as he held the gates spiritually. The figure walked through, revealing itself as Sophitia Alexandra. Link nodded to her body, and suddenly, Sophitia remembered everything. She placed her booted feet on her bodies feet and laid down in the same flat out pose of her physical shell. Countless screams could be heard all around them from everywhere in the fortress. The sudden cacophony startled everyone, even Link looked up as he released his hold on the gates of the underworld. Sophitia suddenly sat up quickly, gasping for air with her eyes wider than ever. Her breathing was hasty, and her mind was fuzzy. Yet, she knew she had passed through the shadows of death.

"This is it. The lot of you must escape this place. Legions of undead will be walking around now. It is the price we pay for reviving Sophitia. The dark god, Oni, will likely remain passive through this ordeal." Link explained, ignoring it all. He moved to be away and grab a few things when Sophitia suddenly wrapped her arms around him tightly. Link wasn't expecting the sudden contact, she had caught him from behind.

"Thank you...You don't know how much I am in your debt..." Sophitia whispered gratefully. Link remained silent, thinking on what she had said. It had been a long time since she had embraced him, he still had not gotten used to be held in the way she used to...

As if she was his mother...

* * *

Without waisting a moment, Link shoved the bag containing rupees, potions, the Book of Mudora, the Fire Rod, and the Sword of Flames into Raphael's hands. With that done, and Raphael giving Link an inquisitive look about the bag of items, Link glanced at the door and quickly whispered.

"Veran, Yvi, come to me. Bring me the Moon Pearl..." He summoned. With a whirl of wind, the sorceress Veran stood before the King holding the pearl. And with a red flame, Yvi rose from a sitting position to stand in front of the king as well. They looked at the newcomers with curiosity, not recognizing them at all.

"I want you two to lead them to Nergia, straight to queen Impa. Take them on the path of Orgus, passed the plains of Gelloth and clear through Nightly Kingdom. Do _**not**_ take the shortcuts into Para Du'l, that place has been infested by the enemy's Moblins and the creatures that lived their were malformed by the evil radiations to hideous, blood-thirsty beasts." Link instructed, strapping a pack of Deku Nuts and a draconian-styled long bow of grand design with a large quiver full of black arrows to Cassandra's back.

"The concentrations of shadow energy from the EverDark spots will provide you enough cover from the main trails to last the trip to the Sheikan cities without being spotted by the monsters roaming my kingdom. Move only during the night, and ensure you cover great distances with every chance you get. As soon as your spotted, the journey will go from an infiltration to a wild cuccoo run." Link added in a hushed voice.

With a nod from Veran, Link turned to Cassandra.

"Follow Veran and Yvi, the generals will escort you. I don't want any of you stopping to pick fights, no matter what the generals have taught you, and work as a single unit. Any weakness in trust between you all will be the end for the lot of this group. As soft in tread and as swift and invisible as shadows in darkness you _**must**_ be as you move!" the king commanded. "And Cassandra, no running off." He added, bringing a bit of guilt in the younger Athenian warrioress.

"What of you, sire?" Dragonia questioned.

"Don't worry about me! Your duty is to ensure these warriors reach Nergia alive!" Link answered. He turned to Sophitia, who still was a bit in shock of her own death and eerie revival. Taking the jewel from Veran, he pressed it gently into her chest.

"Safe-guard this jewel, if you can gather enough you can return to your world, away from this doom." He said, catching her surprised gaze. "Be safe, you five. The road ahead is very perilous. One slip and it will all be in vain."

Waving his hand to hush them, Link listened for any sign of hostile entities outside of the library. He could hear the moaning of deceased bodies long dried by decay of time walk about, but not close enough for him to keep the warriors still any longer. He motioned them to follow him as he opened the door and peered both ways, seeing clear.

"Quickly!" He whispered. The nine followed him as quickly as they could, avoiding noise in every way possible.

They passed through the dining room, where the lone ReDead once stood but was no longer found, and through the west halls. Link ran softly on the thick, lush carpet, holding a torch to light their path for them. The others took note of this and ran only on the carpet as well, so as not to produce any attracting noise.

Link stopped at the corner, gazing around and holding the torch high to illuminate through the darkness. Searching for any sign of the enemy, Link treaded slowly forward, not willing to be discovered if he could help it.

The main hall was ahead, all was clear in the vision of the king. Quickly, he sprouted further to guide his allies out to a safer area. The nine followed, not once uttering a word amongst themselves for fear of being sighted. Just as Link got to the main doors, a horrid cry emulated itself from his left.

Facing that direction, he was suddenly pounced and a set of teeth pierced his forehead. A cry of pain fell from the throat of Link and reached his companions.

Cassandra, spooked by the cry of the creature drew her sword as she attempted to dash forwards and bat the thing off the king. Before she could take her first leap, more foes stumbled from the darkness surrounding the dropped torch.

Taken aback by the numbers, the team immediately went on the defensive. With Wolfiah, Dragonia, and Shadowess creating a barrier around the other four living warriors and Veran forming her own magic net to add protection as Yvi threw some Deku Nuts at the dead. With the impact came the blinding flash, luckily none of the living were looking in that direction, but the undead were stunned by the light.

Link struggled with the creatures that rushed him. He bore no real weapon of combat, so he reverted to thrashing wildly about. Through the rotting bones and flesh animated by his own ritual, Link could see a double edged battle ax on the wall. Despite his current dilemma, he did not regret this. In fact, from the depths of his mind, an old memory of a debt he owed to Sophitia was paid by his ritual. So, in light of that thought, and to honor his last memories with the warriors from their world, Link forced his way to the ax.

Ripping it from the wall, he swung it in large arc, cutting down several dead with great struggle. His strength was leaving him and he was blinded in one eye from the blood of his wounds and the clawing of the undead. He could not reach his Master Sword, too many held him from behind gnawing and biting him as he struggled to stand and fight.

He felt heat all around him and suddenly large bursts of flame, harmless to him engulfed and ignited the creatures attacking him. Giving a glance behind him, he saw the smoke flow from Veran's hands as she aimed her spells to more dead. Nodding his thanks to her blind side, Link grabbed the double doors of heavy black oak and pulled hard to open them. After pulling hard enough with the little life in him, he managed to crack the doors open enough for the group to squeeze through.

Sophitia stabbed the head of the Moblin that roared at her side, seeing the glimmer of snow coming from the corner of her eye and watching the injured king raise a massive ax and charge in their direction. She spared a glance behind him and noticed the doors were adjacent.

She felt nothing but relief. There was hope for them now.

Link gave a horizontal swing, swiftly cutting down a handful of attackers. Slowly, he carved a path to the group, swinging harshly about with half clumsy half accurate attacks. His armor protected him from any mid or low attacks from the Moblins but without a proper shield or helm for his head, he was vulnerable.

"Run, you fools! Fly!" Link ordered over the loud bashing and smacks of swords against shields. As soon as his command registered, the group shot forward for the doors. Veran and Link fended of the pursuing enemies as best as they could until they were close to the doors. But a Darknut marched into the path and slammed the door shut. The bang reached the ears of the king who swirled around to see what happened. Anger coursed his soul as he grabbed the Fire Rod and Sword of Flames.

Smacking back a large Moblin with his left palm, Link stabbed the stone floor with the Sword of Flames, unleashing a wave of fire in a sphere-like dome. Willing his allies to be protected by the spirits within the weapons, Link took the Rod in his hands and reared back. With the last of his strength, he slammed the tip down.

* * *

As the rod hit the ground, a tornado of flame erupted and engulfed the entire room. To the very ceiling, the banners hanging from the top, the pictures on the walls, and the thick carpet were set aflame by the explosion of power unleashed by the fiery spirit within the rod.

The king lay in the mass of flames, barely able to move his eyes. So tired and exhausted, he used all his strength to unleash that life-saving blow to the enemy. Even the mighty Darknuts were incinerated by the furious flame.

Cassandra stood from where she was blown into the wall at, she felt dazed and the explosion that nearly destroyed the entire fortress and almost knocking her to unconsciousness. But she felt a warm presence protect her, it must have been the magic Link used to cast those spells, for it felt like him. The only thing that kept her safe from a concussion was Veran's protective barrier that was canceled out by the blasting flame. Her eyes rested on her dizzy sister, relief flooded her to see her well. Yun-Seong was laid flat on his back and Raphael who lay under him, pushed the younger man off with a grunting "Get off me...!"

Veran helped Yvi stand from their position behind the flaming walls, both looking on in numbed silence. Neither knew what had just happened. The younger Athenian's eyes rested on the near dead hero. Dropping her blade, she rushed to his side. She knew not why she felt worry over him like she did, but nonetheless she dropped to her knees next to him. He was trying to breathe, but seemed to struggle. He tried opening his eyes, but the lids would not budge.

"...Link?" She muttered, half-expecting him to react fiercely to his own name, but she got nothing. His hearing seemed as dead as his strength.

"C...Cass...andra..." Link spoke, his lack of breathe making speech impossible.

*_...Take the last of my power...Give me your hand._* His voice echoed in her mind. Not knowing what he was going to do, the Athenian did not hesitate to acknowledge his command. She placed her gloved hand on his unmoving left hand and waited.

Something stirred in her, she felt a presence seep into the very threads of her soul as she watched a small, golden symbol on the back of Link's hand shine forth. The warmth that followed was holy and serene, calming and soothing at the same time. She watched as the Triforce symbol vanished from Link's hand and reappeared on her left hand.

An overwhelming surge of courage bolted through her every fiber, gifting her immense strength to repel fear. The golden light shone brightly on her hand, and soon it engulfed her in a foray of glorious bravery.

*_I shall house the spirit of the Hero in you. The blade of evil's bane will answer your call to arms as long as you hold the power of Farore in you. Take my sword, and go._* Link instructed through his telepathy.

"But...but what will happen to you? I can't just let you die!" Cassandra argued. "You saved Sophitia, I want to return that favor." She added.

*_I revived her and spent the last of my twelve hours to pay off my debt to her. She saved my life long ago. My passing is inevitable, the curse refuses life in me. Swords, are no more use here. Now begone, foolish girl!_* Link ordered, all haste and comfort lost.

Cassandra was about to argue with him, but Veran grabbed her as the flames became more hotter. It was loosing its will to protect the group, as Link was dieing, so was the net surrounding them.

Veran pulled a shouting Cassandra out, receiving help from Raphael and Yun-Seong. Sophitia and Yvi were forcing the door open as the generals stood over the fading image of their king. They all looked up at the others, determined to fulfill their master's wishes without failure.

As the men sealed the castle shut, the body of Link, king of Kingdom was consumed in flames. Slowly, the hellish fire undid his armor and body, releasing his soul that was immediately pulled back to his throne prison to await his release. The pain of the flames was all that tingled his senses, until it finally killed him off, the king suffered in his last minutes.

He suffered for her.

As she was dragged, a sudden weight pervaded on her back. Looking up, it was the blue hilt of the Master Sword, the very blade that slayed demons and evil spirits for ages long gone.

* * *

As the nine ran from the fiery castle, two shadowy figures and a small creature of light watched them from afar. Cloaked in shadow, the red eyes of the silhouettes watched the retreating forms of the king's chosen.

"Those are the king's chosen. He's sending them to Nergia...before they could get out they were attacked, I barely got out before his fire magic consumed the fortress. It saved them though, but it came at a fatal price..." The small light with wings reported to the other two more larger figures.

"They arrived allot sooner than you intended, my lord." The first hidden soul spoke in surprise.

"_My will was done in this fashion for a reason; we can not wait any longer. With them here, this world has a new hope of the usurper casted back to the abyss. If they can release and save the hero, the Sacred Realm will be free once more."_ A dark voice replied from the depths of the night.

"Things have changed over time since your last awakening. The Sacred Realm is dead," The second voice started.

The two stepped forward from the shadows, revealing a woman with golden hair in a blue and white skin-tight suit with a large red eye on her curvy chest. On her hip was a short katana and on her back was a large orange bow with a quiver behind it. On her right hip was a long steel whip with an edge for distant cutting.

The second was a taller man bearing black armor with golden trimming and the emblem of the king on a chain hanging from his neck. On his head was a Roman legionnaire-styled helmet which resembled the commander's helm in the Dark Army. On his back, was a massive sword of black steel, with blue in the middle, nearly the size of his shorter companion with a red and green hilt.

"This...is the Shadow Realm..." The man finished.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew. I finally got the plot where I want it! Thank Oni... I feel like this is rushed for some reason, but I can't see or describe it any better. I just hope that the fact that the plot is moving now will make up for it. Please leave reviews, no flames!


	8. Haunting Pasts and Preparations

**Soul Calibur II - Dawn of Darkness**

**Chapter VIII - Haunting Pasts and Preparations**

A body of black-armored soldiers in ranks as far as the eye could see were locked in a struggle with an equally large force of unnatural beasts from the deepest pits of hell. The colliding armies pushed each other violently, neither able to gain ground, and neither giving it. The roars of war endlessly played throughout the battle, the clangs of metal on metal, skin and bone resounded higher than the cries of pain. Banners flowed with the cold wind that blew from the high mountains of Angoria to the swamps of Vedigaard, land under the demonic beasts.

In the center, a tall warrior stood higher than the rest, his sword and shield bloodied from the fight. Across the small distance stood a humanoid clad in heavy armor. The helm of this evil combatant was shaped like a funnel, only having two small holes for the wearer to see through, yet his mouth and nose was left unprotected by the visor.

The warrior was clad in the same black armor as his fellow soldiers, only he bore the black cape that symbolized the highest of ranks. King.

The king's golden locks were meddled with sweat and dirt that had been kicked up by the skirmish he and his soldiers had fought in all morning. His dark and menacing glare burned his target, the enemy general, Onyx, whose sinister and overly confident grin taunted his opponent. The black king snorted at his arrogant enemy, the sweat on his nose creating a mist and reminding those who were watching of a bull ready to charge. The glowing blue eyes of the Dragon and Wolf, emblem of the dark king, shimmered ominously in the dim light of Kingdom's day, taunting the enemy with its signs of life, challenging them to make it die.

A stray demon soldier broke through the line that formed the small arena where the army's leaders had fought for the majority of the time and rushed the king. It lifted its hideously malformed sword arm and launched a clumsy stab. The king side-stepped the attack, grabbed the creature's arm, pulled it to his side, released and than struck it in the chest with his mighty fist. The leverage of the move gave the king the momentum to lift the demon high and slam it down on its spine. The force of the impact caused several bones to break on the rock beneath their feet. All in one fluid motion.

It didn't have time to cry out as the black boot of the king crushed its head mercilessly. But as the king looked up, the enemy general had made his move. He was too close to counter this crushing assault.

* * *

Cassandra opened her eyes slowly, it was another vision of the king's bloody past. She sighed, that was the fifth one since they bunkered down in this abandoned cave earlier that night, after fleeing the castle which had been consumed by the king's suicidal fire. She still couldn't believe that she was now in the middle of a thousand year war between two rulers in a world filled with shadow. She didn't even understand how she came here. Sophitia had taken her out for a ride in Athens when all went black. They had felt as if they were being ripped apart and reformed somewhere else. When they awoke, the two were laying in the middle of a road at the foothill of a lone mountain with a massive cave entrance.

She wiped her weary eyes, yesterday was a long day full of crazy things that happened so fast. She barely even had time to register that she was in a new world that her realm had never even knew existed. Her sky blue eyes glanced off to the darkness of the fields. Something was following her, several eyes had been on her since the group left the castle. Although she gave no hint that she was looking, she never spotted the perpetrators.

She spoke to the three leading them about this, but the general's had not felt as if there was any threat following. By Wolfiah's words, if danger was close by, they would know by natural instinct. Yvi and Veran also felt no threat. However Raphael and Yun-Seong believed her, as did the quiet Sophitia who was still accepting the fact that she was dead for a minute or so only hours before hand.

Sophitia. Even now as Cassandra glanced at her, she could see that she was as determined as she was. The Moon Pearl, as Veran called it, was being safely guarded by her sister who held it close as Link instructed. She had given that Draconian bow and quiver of arrows to Sophitia to use, she had no skill with archery, but Sophitia was somewhat experienced at best and was a better choice as the archer. Added, it was important to keep her at reasonable distance from any of the evil king's spawns.

A small hum drew Cassandra's attention to the legendary blade of Evil's bane, the Master Sword which rested next to her right leg. For some reason, when she held it, she always used her left hand. However when she swapped back to her Athenian sword, she felt more comfortable with the right hand. It must of had to do with the spirit of the hero now resting in her, or the Triforce relic on her left hand. Which one it really was, she couldn't tell. Another odd thing was that she could not leave it alone for a moment or it reappeared on her back, as if it refused to be left behind, even for a moment.

It annoyed her, the sword was rather big and really heavy. She needed breaks every now and then after walking with it on her back. The only time she got the rest she wanted was if she was still touching it in some way while it was off her back. However she knew no one could steal it. Yun-Seong tried to touch it once and was sent flying. The Korean's hair was even spikier than last time because of the shock it had given him as warning.

She had to admit, that was pretty amusing. Raphael, of course, found it hysterical but Sophitia reprimanded them for laughing at the sight. The only ones who didn't show anything on that was the general's and the two servants. They opted to remain neutral and ignored that scene. Whether they did it out of sense of duty, or nothing was really funny in Kingdom.

This land was really strange, and despite the similarities to her home world, very different. It was in a constant state of twilight during the day, and the night was not natural at all. They had tried to light torches to see where they were going but a shroud of the night's darkness consumed that light and left them with a very short and unreliable range to see.

Yvi, luckily for the group, could see in this type of pitch blackness. It made sense, she was a blood-drinker. But not like a typical vampire, she could withstand daylight. And, as it turns out, she was based on a tribe that is native to the Dark World, known simply as blood-drinkers of Revinor. Soul Edge must have felt that that tribe was perfect for what it needed in a servant. Too bad the evil sword never got the chance to make more like Yvi. Ivy and Siegfried crushed it before it could unleash a second Evil Seed.

It was cold, even with the warmth from the fire nearly singeing the six who were still flesh and bone, the cold of Kingdom was practically immune to Life's warmth. It seemed to pass right through the protection of warmth and seep into the fiber of the living, sending a constant shiver across their flesh. One more thing that annoyed Cassandra greatly. As if the task she decided to take on was not enough of a burden, but a persistent holy sword and the cold that wont let her stay comfortable long enough to fall back to sleep.

She hated it here. Already she missed Patroklos and Phyrra, the warmth of her home and the love of her parents. It could not dawn on her how the people of this world lived in it without loosing their minds. She surely would of, standing on some mountain top and screaming her head of to the land to stop making her miserable.

Such a silly thought, she concluded. At least she still had the capacity to day dream her own madness...'_For now,_' she thought darkly.

* * *

Nearby, princess Sheik sat cross-legged at a fire of her own. In her hands was the shawl she wore in the presence of strangers. It had been awhile since she had used it. She smiled down at it; as if greeting an old friend. She missed the days of old, almost wishing she had not inherited the gift, or curse in her opinion, of immortality from her mother, the Sheikan Queen and Shadow Sage Impa. How furious she would be when she finds out that she left her leadership training under the black rider's general at Angor Mountain. But she was ready to counter it with the fact that she was now siding with the king's chosen.

But she couldn't think of a good excuse for the king ordering of his guard removing their presence from Fan'Gorn. She knew to be wise and stay out of her mother's way when she gave that report. Despite the defeat that Link suffered a thousand years ago, the war was still active, but at a stalemate. Neither side had made a move since Link was sealed away. It made her and the Sheikah wonder what Ganon was up to. Without the support of the dark army, the Sheikah nations were utterly powerless to stop an onslaught. So...what was he waiting for?

She lifted her gaze from her shawl to the figure in front of her. In front of her, sat the black rider himself, washing and sharpening his sword in silence, as if he knew she was thinking and gave her the peace to contemplate her next choice. In his right hand was a smoothly shaped rock he carried with him, in his left was that ridiculously huge piece of metal he used as his weapon. As if massaging his mistress' back, he passed the rock back and forth on the edge of the black steel with smooth motion.

He briefly lifted his eyes from his task at her and returned to sharpening.

"...You've been thinking." He stated.

She didn't answer him, but rather glared off to the distant forest path that led to Para Du'l. Evil lurked in the outskirts of that once beautiful place inhabited by the angelic elves who served the kingdom as servants, now transformed into male Centaurs and female succubus demons. She had friends there when the evil radiation reached the woodlands of Para Du'l, friends she had grown up with, friends that never made it out.

"They're getting too close to Para Du'l..." She noted quietly. He nodded, obviously aware of this. "We can't let them get any closer, Morgoth. Those devils could snatch them up and drag them to the very pits of the Underworld and-"

"-And that would be the end of my lord's chosen, I know, Sheik." He silenced her. "I have faith in Wolfiah, Shadowess and Dragonia. You should too. Yvi and Veran know well that failure is never met lightly, they wont lead them astray. And I advise you to not doubt the Chosen One's spirit. I can feel how strong she truly is...Even at this distance." He muttered without meeting her gaze. Sheik glared furiously at him.

"I'm not going to let the only chance of freeing Link slip my fingers because you have faith in a couple of ghosts, a sarcastic pair of servants, and some girl who can cave in under pressure because she lacks experience with this darkness! Why can't someone else take her place? Someone who knows what they're doing?" She hissed like a serpent. Morgoth lifted his head with an unimpressed frown rather quickly.

"You shouldn't be so picky. She made it out alive with her sister and the others, did she not? The Master Sword accepts her as its new wielder, is that correct? Nya?" He asked to seemingly no one with a sharp tone. The ball of white light with wings floated out of the hood of Sheik's cloak and landed on her head.

"It's true...If the blade of Evil's bane sees fit to allow someone other than the hero to touch its hilt, it considers them worthy enough to wield it." Nya acknowledged, her glow dimming and allowing her wise figure to be seen. Morgoth gave Sheik a small, wry smirk of victory. She continued to glare with doubt.

"I know how the Master Sword works-" She tried.

"Then you know now that she can be trusted to lead in our king's step. She's proved herself already by surviving the infestation of the Black Fortress." Morgoth interrupted, speaking slowly, as if the subject did not interest him. His way of saying he wished to drop the topic. Sheik grunted her protest. But said no more. She grumpily put her shawl on and turned her heated gaze back on Morgoth who had returned to silently washing his sword and sharpening out any missed ends. Nya shook her head at the two and retreated to the hood to finish sleeping.

"...If something goes wrong-"

"-Which nothing will,"

"-I'm holding you _personally_ responsible..."

"As you wish, my _princess_."

* * *

"We're loosing ships fast!" One of the soldiers called from the crow's nest of a nearby warship. Cannon fire resounded constantly as the fight continued without rest, only the odds were now split. A new enemy had come to fight, but not for either side. The conflict was now split into a three-way battle for the participant's lives.

The king burst through the doors of his flagship, the _Dragons Head_, with his sword in hand. Following closely behind him was Sarah, his caretaker, who shouted command after command to the soldiers on deck loading the cannons and firing their bows at hostile infantry and sailors.

With heavy stomps, the king reached the railing of his flagship and looked out to the seas, gripping the black oak with a viscous grip. He could see the problem, Mermaids allied with Dark World Zora, looking for meals. He watched as they tore through one of his vanguard vessels in phalanx formation and dragged his soldiers to the depths of the Blood Sea. Turning on his heel, the king marched up the stairs to the helm and the wheel, pushing the captain aside without remorse and turning the wheel to full port. The massive ship began to turn, the dragon statues that decorated its hull seemed to creek with the wood of the deck. Messengers shouted commands to the other vessels to stir clear of the flagship. They barely had time to comply and nearly escaped the Dragons Head's spiked and heavily armored bow, but several of the enemy's vessels suffered ramming.

The _Dragons Head_ quickly made its way to the intruding fleet of aquatic creatures, to whom were now targeting the king's vessel. Their hands tore at the wood, but some mysterious force kept them from penetrating it. As if the gods themselves forbade them to harm the king's vessel. Their morale began to decrease as superstition took hold. As the _Dragons Head_ neared the intruder's middle ranks, the king stepped up to the railing once more.

He said nothing. His seething expression spoke louder than his desire to roar in outrage. He stepped onto the railing, standing tall and raised his palms above his head. The emblem on his armor began to glow more brightly, the atmosphere seemed to be pulled into the space in between the king's palms and a dark shadow formed. He closed his eyes, focusing on the power that now pulsed vividly in his veins, willing the darkness to obey his command. Sudden sparks of light appeared near him and also entered the swirling void the king had summoned, converting themselves into the darkness he called. As the void grew larger and stronger, a loud hum overcame the canon fire.

Now, all eyes were upon him. He mentally smiled, he did not want the enemy to miss just how hopeless it was for them. With a whirl of his hands, the mass ball disappeared briefly, but as the king pushed an invisible force at the sea where the third faction had come, it was unleashed.

A thousand screams of pain and terror welcomed his assault. The answering cheer of the black army at his back, cried louder than the horrid screeching. But it was not over, the king moved his hands into the same direction of the enemy's vessels, and a large majority of their flank was consumed.

There were no survivors. No Zora, no Mermaid, and no demon.

General Sarah walked up next to him, horrified by the display before her. She gagged as she caught wind of burned flesh and the sight of the decimated Mermaids and Zora. She looked up to her father, the one who breathed his life into her chest. He did not acknowledge her presence, not as he turned away and walked back into the cabin. She followed him, climbing the dais of his throne and taking her position behind him. He said nothing as she gazed at the back of his head. Finally, she mustered the courage to speak.

"My lord, perhaps that wasn't the best way to mediate the intruder's from participating in the battle...we could face a war on two fronts..." She cautiously reasoned. She knew he didn't care for that, he was the dark king. He feared no race, no warrior, no nation of any size or power, war was just another era of fighting in his existence. He turned his head slightly to his left, seemingly to address her.

"They have not accepted my peace keeping envoys that I sent out of respect, asking they not partake in the war. If they want to participate in this war, I will bring the war to their doors. If they want a fight; I'll give them a fight, if they want a contest of strength; I'll give them a contest! Next time, their deaths will not be so merciful." He answered harshly.

Sarah lowered her head in defeat. She would not be able to silence his rage this time, the two races have just insulted him with their involvement in the war. He did not take such action kindly. In this war, you were either on the dark king's side, or the evil king's. Most races were wise to side with the dark king, their alliance with him guaranteed he would not raze their lands to the grounds. They all knew he was hellbent on annihilating the evil one, and anyone who stood in his way.

"-Cassandra, wake up." Sophitia's voice called. Cassandra opened her eyes once more. She grunted with irritation, another glimpse of the king's involvement in the Shadow Wars. She looked up to her sister who stood over her, she smiled assuringly at Cassandra, as if she knew she wasn't having much luck resting.

"I keep seeing him in my dreams." Cassandra admitted. Sophitia put her sack down and sat next to her. She gave a brief glance to the others who were now awake and moving about the cave. Except for Yun-Seong, who was still sleeping with a disgruntled Raphael trying to wake him up but not having much luck.

"What do you see?" Sophitia asked, somewhat cautiously. Cassandra shrugged.

"Well, the last few were about him and his soldiers fighting his enemy, this last one though took place in a sea. I saw him wipe out a rather large group of Mermaids and some other kind of sea warriors that were attacking his and his enemy's fleet."

"It sounds like they were kind of doing him a favor...but I can see why he did what he did. Mermaids are treacherous. They have phenomenal strength..."

"I know, I remember the stories back home. It's just how he did it, that makes me think if he is different from that demon king."

"If I recall the stories correctly, I think I remember something about that betrayal changing him in his heart as well. Being controlled by an evil monarch will really affect you after 6 years." Sophitia pointed out. "He is different, its just what he went through still affects how he goes about doing things."

"I'm not saying that I doubt him as a good leader, I mean, I never heard anything about the people complaining about his rule. In the dream, he said something about peace envoys he sent to those things, I guess they didn't want peace."

"That usually is the case. Especially with Mermaids, they're strong-willed. Alliances isn't something they care about, if your human, and they're hungry, to them you're their dinner."

Cassandra nodded. She knew plenty on the Mermaids, but none about those other fish-like creatures. They were strange and hideous. She recalled seeing one of them with its jaws open, and the row of teeth she saw glimmer in the light of the cannon fire were reminiscent of sharks. She had faced Mermaids before, they could lure any weak-minded man to their deaths, but their seductions were of no effect on women. Yvi and Veran suddenly appeared at her side.

"We must move on, gather your gear...and help us wake this imbecile up." Yvi begged, gesturing to the still sleeping Yun-Seong. The two sisters shared a look, Sophitia pulled Cassandra to her feet without bothering to pick up the Master Sword. Right on cue, it instantly was strapped to her back. She reached up with her left hand and pulled it free of the decorative scabbard, and walked towards the sleeping Korean and the frustrated aristocrat. She bent down next to Yun-Seong and let the hilt of her sword touch his hand and watched the sparks fly.

A lone Sheikah galloped across the dark fields, ahead of him was the magnificent city of Nergia. Behind him, a group of Moblins chased after. He urged his stallion faster, trying to reach the city gates before the Moblins reached him. On the battlements of the wall, Sheikan archers readied their bows for the Moblins.

"Hoy! I come by order of the princess! Open the gates!" The rider called as loudly as he could.

At his words, several patrol officers shouted commands to the sentries on guard at the gates. The large doors fitted with heavy spikes began to creep open, it would be close. The rider huffed and puffed as his horse did, he could hear the roars of the creatures behind him grow closer. He could almost feel their spears upon his back. But luckily for him, several painful grunts emitted from the brutes at his back just as the archers gave him some cover fire, now that he was within their range.

Just as the last Moblin was shot down, he dashed into the gates and the soldiers heaved it closed. He jumped off his tired ride and let a stable hand collect the tired animal. With renewed breath, he dashed into the streets, calling the citizens to make way.

After a long run through the markets, he finally stood at the royal palace gates. He showed his mark to the guards who opened the gates for him. As he strode rather quickly on, he repeated his sign of clearance and was eventually at the doors that lead to the queen's throne chamber. The two thickly soldiers standing at the doors pushed it open and let him in. He walked in, it was kept lit by torches on the wall, lined like knights presenting their arms in salute.

The room was narrow, not like most throne chambers, pillars lined the sides to which the torches were mounted upon, and at the other end, stood a dais and a purple throne with black velvet covering the cushions. Upon the elegant throne sat a woman who's beauty was eerie, but very enchanting. She seemed to be in her late 30's, but her immortality protected her from the decay of time. Her ruby eyes were lined by black mascara, her hair was whiter than snow, but with what little others could see of her physic under the fur and armor she wore, she was in excellent shape to fight on a moment's notice.

Her armor bore an odd sign, three balls circling themselves with small tails behind them. The sign was that of the Shadow Sage. This same sign was embedded on the throne and the walls also bore this symbol. The crimson red lips of the queen curled in a smile of greeting to which the messenger bowed his head in respect.

He reached the dais, stopping as he stood before the queen of his people, the great Impa. He dropped to his knee and waited.

"Rise, my friend. I trust you bring me news that my daughter is passing her training?" The queen's strong voice spoke gently. The Sheikah shook his head as he stood back up.

"No, my queen. I bring an urgent message from the princess..." At his words, the queen stood from her throne. Now that more light was on her, it was easy to see the Gothic-like design of her attire, she wore a black shirt and dark blue shorts that fit her form well under her armor, and a single short sword was sheathed behind her back.

"The Imperial king has awoken-" At this, the queen's eyes widened, "-several warriors from his past now ride for this city, he has named them his chosen. And, he has named one of them the new Hero. She carries the Master Sword with her, and the relic of Courage..."

"...What else?"

"The princess has called on the rider to join her as she watches over them on their journey here. The princess also sends word that when she returns, she must speak with you in private." With that, the messenger stepped back.

The queen placed her right palm on her head. Closing her eyes, she searched the land for the chosens, within moments, she caught sight of them running by the woodlands of Para Du'l, far away enough to not draw the attention of the lurkers within the cursed wood. She sensed a presence looming behind the group, passing her vision by to the source, she saw her daughter on her mare and the left hand of Link on his stallion galloping just slow enough to keep a reasonable distance from the others.

"So...it has begun. Our lord has named his chosen champions, ready a battle force to ride out and meet them at the end of the Path of Orgus." Queen Impa commanded to her captain of the guard who saluted and stepped out.

The queen unbuttoned her ceremonial fur coat, discarding it on her throne. She stood tall, her figure thin yet athletic, dressed in her familiar assassin's guard that she used when she guarded the Hero's sister. Striding to a mirror, the queen took a cloth and wiped the mascara from her eyes and took her crown, which was red in color and shaped with many spires that were designed so that the middle was the highest point and the sides declined in height, and placed it on the arm rest of her throne. She pulled a small band from a pocket behind her and pulled her long, wavy hair into a single pony tail so it would not obstruct her view.

She turned around and looked to the portraits upon the walls, reminiscing of the old days. With one more small and happy smile, she was ready.

**A/N:** That's all I have for this chapter. I have to say, despite how short it was compared to the last few, I favor this one over the rest because it didn't seem as corny or...stupid, as the last one did. No more little dumb chants or blah blah blah, I felt like a bloody fool now that I read back on it.

So yes, story is now more serious as it should be, I opened up a bit more to its background and named a few places. Yes, the elves of Para Du'l are affected by gender in what they were transformed into, so the male elves became large and short tempered Centaurs, while the female elves were transformed into dangerously seducing succubus. I'm also, keeping the humor to a minimal as much as I can, don't want to spoil the story which is meant to be as morbid as I can make it. I am planning on redoing the first dozen chapters like before, I already have an intro made that may require me to delete the previous chapters. So if you read those, you'll have to review with anonymous reviews. Wish it wasn't like that, but we know how it is, don't we?

In a weird, twisted way, some of my other stories are linked to this one and others, in that I use the same background for the other large projects, the same places in this story exist in the others, such as Para Du'l. And I use the same pattern as well, like Oni being the Hylian god of Darkness and the Terminian god of Demons. But time line wise, this story takes place wa-a-ay ahead of the others, so these incarnations have no recollection of the adventures they shared in the story, for example, "Tale of Heroes". But, if you look at it a little more closer, the time lines between this story and the other stories are so far-stretched that they are almost _not_ linked with each other. So it's a 50-50 chain link. This one, either takes place way before, or way after my other stories, but the main point of it is to be radically different in what you would typically expect of a Zelda or Soul Calibur story. And with any luck, I'm doing that well, aside from the last few chapters that I am not satisfied with...

Now, I ask that if you're reading this story, please leave me a review on your thoughts. Good day! Also, sorry for the wait, if I want this story to be done right, I have to go about writing it right, and that means long breaks without thinking of it that much, and then returning and spending a few days working on it, like I did with this one.

Please review! Good day.


End file.
